The National Memorial for Israel's Fallen or National Hall of Remembrance, inaugurated in April 2017, in the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl, commemorates the names of each and every serviceman and woman who gave their lives for the country. The names of over 23,000 are eternally engraved in tiles honoring their memory and sacrifice. Mount Herzl, also called Har HaZikaron, Hebrew for Mountain of Remembrance, is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial facilities. It is named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, who's tomb lies at the top of the hill.
A memorial for the 69 sailors of INS Dakar stands in the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl, in the shape of a submarine above ground, with plaques commemorating the lost sailors below. Submarine INS Dakar sailed on 9th January, 1968 from Portsmouth England on its maiden voyage to Israel. After refueling in Gibraltar it set out to the Port of Haifa with the intention of sailing submerged and arriving at its destination within 14 days. At two minutes past midnight on the 25th January, 1968, a radio communication with navy HQ was suddenly cut short and never renewed. After two months of search and rescue efforts Israel's Minister of Defense formally announced to the Knesset the Dakar's 69 sailors were lost lost forever. After 31 years of searches, on 28th May, 1999, the INS Dakar was found at the bottom of the Mediterranean at a depth of 2,900m between Cyprus and Crete, on its original planned path, just 250 miles away from Haifa.
