Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942

Product Information

Pearson, Michael (2004). The Ohio and Malta: The Legendary Tanker That Refused to Die. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84415-031-1.

A study of the map of the Mediterranean will show that the island of Malta, roughly the size of Greater London, is strategically positioned on the supply route from Italy to their then colony of Libya. Since 1940 a small force of Naval aircraft and submarines had played havoc with the Axis attempts to re supply their forces in the colony. By 1941 the losses were so great that convoys were temporarily suspended. A situation that could not be tolerated if Axis plans to advance through Egypt to the Suez Canal were to proceed. The Axis side also knew full well of the importance of the convoy, and were bent on having it stopped as Malta had been a thorn in their supply lines between mainland Europe and North Africa.Owen was involved in supplying ammunition to the hoists on Bramham; he also assisted with the prevention of further flooding and the repeated reconnection of broken tow ropes on Ohio) Many brave men were lost during this heroic and most bombarded convoy of the Second World War; awards were numerous, including another brave act by a crew member of HMS Ledbury Roskill, S. W. (1957) [1954]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The Defensive. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series: The War at Sea 1939–1945. Vol.I (4th impr.ed.). London: HMSO. OCLC 881709135– via Hyperwar Foundation. In Operation Tiger, convoy WS 8 sailed from Gibraltar to Alexandria, combined with a supply run to Malta by six destroyers of Force H. Five 15kn (17mph; 28km/h) merchant ships passed Gibraltar on 6 May accompanied by Force H, along with a battleship and two cruisers en route to Alexandria; Clan Campbell, Clan Chattam, Clan Lamont, Empire Song and New Zealand Star. The merchants tried to reach Alexandria with air cover of Fairey Fulmars onboard Ark Royal and the anti aircraft fire of 9 destroyers. Bad weather helped, but Regia Aeronautica engaged the convoy during the day, and at dusk Empire Song was lost after hitting two mines. It sank with tanks and planes (10 Hurricanes and 57 tanks); [38] crew was saved by destroyers Fortune and Foresight till La Valletta. The destroyers from Force H participated in the convoy operation as far as Malta then returned. Force H bombarded Benghazi and rendezvoused with the convoy 50nmi (58mi; 93km) south of Malta late on 9 May. [39] The minefied had been laid by the same Italian cruiser force whose mines had sunk the freighter Parracombe in early May. [37] In mid 1942 the Governor of Malta, Lord Gort, sent a message to London stating that unless urgently needed supplies could be delivered by the end of August then Malta would have no alternative but to surrender.

This book is a well balanced account of Operation Pedestal, and I commend it to everyone. I count myself privileged to have met Captain Wren, and to have learnt of the valour which he and his crew, and indeed his colleagues in the other 13 merchant ships, the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm exercised in this key battle. Buy it! p.m.: The Italian submarine Axum fires four torpedoes and hits three ships, two of which are HMS Nigeria and the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Cairo, severely damaging the latter. Cairo had to be sunk by gunfire from HMS Derwent north of Bizerte.

 The Origins of Operation Pedestal

Operation Excess delivered one ship from Gibraltar to Malta and three to Piraeus. The operation was coordinated with Operation MC 4, consisting of convoy MW 5 + 1⁄ 2 with Breconshire and Clan Macaulay from Alexandria to Malta, ME 6, a return journey of ME 5 + 1⁄ 2 with Lanarkshire and Waiwera and ME 6, with Volo, Rodi, Pontfield, Devis, Hoegh Hood, Trocas and RFA Plumleaf. The convoys arrived safely with 10,000 short tons (9,072t) of supplies. The cruiser HMS Southampton was sunk, the cruiser HMS Gloucester and aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious were badly damaged and a destroyer was damaged beyond repair. [26] Excess was the first occasion that the Luftwaffe participated in an anti-convoy operation; the Italian torpedo boat Vega was sunk during the operations by the cruiser HMS Bonaventure. [27] February 1941 [ edit ] Operation MC 8 [ edit ]

The ship blew up almost instantly in a sheet of flame and a cloud of smoke. Its 107 crew members had no time to launch lifeboats and evacuate the ship, but some were blown off the ship and into the water - water which had been covered in part by burning fuel as a result of the blast. Pedestal's story has been well told countless times: the tale of the defiant Ohio, which simply refused to sink, and of other ships which defied all odds has been, rightly, repeated time and time again.Operation Pedestal, by retired garage owner Brian Crabb, has recently been published revealing the true story of a 1942 Malta-bound convoy, which was vital for getting supplies to feed and fuel the island. So bright were the flames that they lit up the outline of Renato Ferrini's submarine. He dived and left the scene.

Crabb, Brian James (1998). In Harm's Way: The story of HMS Kenya. A Second World War Cruiser. Paul Watkins. ISBN 978-1-900289-02-3. With hindsight, one could see that this was a recipe for disaster - and indeed in the early hours of the morning of 13 August 1942, it suffered a direct hit from three bombs dropped from a Junkers Ju88. This is an outstanding book about this famous convoy, accompanied by some incredible photographs. I would highly recommend it to all our readers. As I recall we left Scapa in early August ’42, once again in company with our sister ship ‘Nelson’, and headed south being joined by other ships both naval and merchant as we proceeded. As was common practise in those days we had no idea of our destination Escorting the convoy were three aircraft carriers – Eagle, Victorious and Indomitable– carrying 72 fighters between them; the battleships Nelson and Rodney; seven cruisers; 32 destroyers; eight submarines; and a number of smaller craft, including corvettes, tugs, minesweepers and motor launches. However, the main force was to withdraw when the convoy reached the Sicilian Narrows, leaving ‘Force X’ under Rear-Admiral Harold Burrough to accompany the merchantmen to Malta. This force consisted of three cruisers, an anti-aircraft ship, 12 destroyers and a tug.a.m.: A tremendous effort is made to tow the crippled tanker Ohio into harbour. Speed is worked up to a gratifying six knots, with a steady enough course. Morale rises accordingly and to cheer everyone up, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, is played loudly from HMS Penn’s PA system.