The Good Ship Ma’agan Michael II

ANOTHER REPLICA OF AN ANCIENT SHIP: Replica of 2,500-year-old ship found off Israel christened ahead of maiden voyage. ‘Ma’agan Michael II’ gets set to sail down the coast from Haifa to Herzliya as part of project to crack mystery of ancient seafaring (Ilan Ben Zion, Times of Israel).

HAIFA — A replica of a 2,500-year-old trading ship found off the coast of Israel was christened in Haifa Friday morning, ahead of its first voyage out of the shelter of the bay later this month.

The keel of the “Ma’agan Michael II,” named after the kibbutz where its ancient forerunner was found in 1985, was laid in July 2014 as part of a joint project by the University of Haifa’s Department of Maritime Civilizations and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

On Friday morning, the university and IAA poured a libation of wine to Poseidon and cast off for a quick jaunt around the bay. Later this month, however, the ship will make its maiden voyage down the coast to Herzliya, a three-day sail.

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I noted the announcement of the project back in 2015. Regular readers will be reminded of the Good Ship Phoenicia, a very successful reconstruction of an ancient Phoenician vessel. PaleoJudaica followed the progress of the voyage of the Phoenicia around Africa over a period of years. I wish the Ma’agan Michael II a similarly sucessful career.