Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942, Hastings - B

            The largest Royal Navy fleet since Jutland went to sea in August, 1942. Over fifty ships escorted 14 merchantmen to the besieged island. Germany and Italy fought fiercely to maintain their control of the Mediterranean. 

           The strategic location of the island placed it between the Axis powers and their armies in Africa, and for the British, it was the only land they held between Gibraltar and Alexandria. The Germans began bombing in late 1941. Months of bombing led to food rationing among the 300,000 residents. No supplies could get through and the island was emotionally preparing to surrender. Churchill insisted the island be relieved and the navy started to identify battleships and carriers to accompany the fastest merchant ships available. "Pedestal's air contingent was the strongest the Royal Navy could provide in August 1942, but was sadly inadequate for the challenge...fighting shore based aircraft, most of which flew higher and faster." They entered the Straits of Gibraltar on August 9th. The Italian fleet and 600 Axis aircraft were waiting for them. On the 11th, 37 Spitfires took off for a one-way trip to Malta. At the same time, four torpedoes slammed into Eagle, a carrier. She went down in less than 10 minutes taking 160 men and 16 Hurricanes with her. At dusk, 27 Ju88's appeared overhead, but high altitude bombing proved to be ineffective. On the next day, the fleet sailed through the Sicilian Narrows, only one hundred miles wide and 150 miles from Italian airbases. Wave after wave of air attacks only managed to cripple a merchant ship and the British were able to sink two Italian submarines. Then at dusk, the final wave saw multiple hits on the carrier Indomitable from dive bombers, but she stayed afloat. Recognizing that he had lost one of the navy's seven carriers and almost a second, Adm. Syfret withdrew the capital ships to Gibraltar, and sent the fleet on with cruisers and destroyers as escorts. There was no more air cover. 

          As darkness fell, the submarines attacked. A cruiser, the Nigeria, a destroyer and the most important merchant vessel were hit. The Nigeria was Adm. Burrough's flagship and he transferred to a destroyer with markedly inferior communication equipment. The destroyer Cairo sank. The Ohio, lent by the US and manned by the British, was a tanker full of petrol. The Luftwaffe returned and sank a merchantman, Empire Hope. Another merchant ship was damaged, Brisbane Star,and the Clan Ferguson were sunk. Fortunately, the Ohio continued on. They were still 300 miles from Malta. In the opening minute of the 13th, the first of the nineteen Axis torpedo boats struck, hitting the cruiser Manchester.  The ship was badly damaged and the captain scuttled her. The merchantman Glenorchy, the Almeria Lykes, Wairangi and the Santa Elisa were all sunk before the sun was up. At dawn on the 13th, they were 140 miles from Malta. The seven merchant ships left were attacked by dive bombers and the Waimarama, filled with aviation fuel and munitions, was blown sky high. The Ohio was stopped dead in the water. Spitfires from Malta began to provide some assistance. Another merchantman was sunk around noon. The Italian torpedo planes made the last attack at mid-afternoon.

     Three merchant ships entered Grand Harbor at six in the evening. Another freighter arrived the next day. A total of 32,000 tons out of the 84,000 that started out made it to its destination. The most important item, the one without which the island could not survive was aviation fuel for the 186 Spitfires that provided its defense. The Ohio was still 100 miles away, dead in the water, and taking on water. The RN began to tow it. It limped into the harbor on the morning of the 15th. Because the Axis sank so many ships, history has been divided on who was successful here. And, whether or not keeping Malta in British hands was worth the effort has also been discussed. Nonetheless, a film, 'Malta Story' was made in the 1950's.