The IDF succeeded on Monday evening in righting a Navy ship that capsized earlier that day opposite the Gaza shore.
A senior Navy officer said Monday evening that the initial inquiry into the incident indicates that a Dvora-type Navy ship that had been sailing alongside the smaller Tzir'a boat and very close to it, created a wave that flooded the deck of the Tzir'a.
The Tzir'a then began to lean to its right side and capsized a few minutes later, when it was about 5 kilometers from the shores of Gaza.
The crew of the Tzir'a extricated itself and climbed aboard the Dvora, taking with it various weapons, equipment and classified documents. The boat was towed slowly to the dock outside the Israel Electric Company complex on the shore of Ashkelon, where it was righted. The damage is assessed at several tens of thousands of shekels.
Both boats were on an operative assignment opposite Gaza, and both were manned by experienced crews, said the officer, adding that the event was an extremely rare one.
The Tzir'a (Hebrew for Wasp), is an extremely fast model known for its great maneuverability.