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Operation PedestalOperation Pedestal planned to send to Malta a convoy of fourteen merchant ships, protected by two battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven cruisers and thirty-two destroyers; once arrived in the Sicily channel, Z Force (the battleships, the aircraft carriers, and three cruisers) was to return Gibraltar, while the convoy was to reach Malta with four cruisers and the destroyers escort. The operation started on 9 August 1942, when the convoy sailed through the Pillars of Hercules. The Regia Marina, on her side, had the problem of low diesel oil reserves, which kept the largest vessels in the Italian ports, thus reducing their operations. When the British convoy was detected, it was decided to attack it with German and Italian aircraft based in Sardinia, than send ten submarines into the Sicily channel; one Italian cruiser division was to deliver the final attack: to this end, diesel oil was transferred from the battleships' tanks to the cruisers. This operation is known also as Battle of Mid-August and in Malta as the Santa Marija Convoy1. Operation timeline 11 August 1pm: sailing emerged, the German submarine U-73 sneaked through thirteen screening destroyers and launched four torpedoes against the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, sinking it. 8pm: an Italian air attack (S.84, CR.42, C.202, and Re.2001) against the aircraft carriers damages the flight deck of HMS Victorious. 12 August The Italian cruiser division, formed by three heavy cruisers (Gorizia, Bolzano, and Trieste), three light cruisers (Eugenio di Savoia, Raimondo Montecuccoli, and Muzio Attendolo) and seventeen destroyers set sail to meet the British convoy. 5pm: a British destroyer rammed and sank submarine Cobalto. Another Axis air attack sank a merchant ship and damaged the flight deck of HMS Indomitable, whose aircraft had to land on Victorious: the aircraft on Victorious deck were dropped into the sea to make room for Indomitable aircraft. The same air attack sank destroyer HMS Foresight. Z Force returned to Gibraltar. 8pm: Italian submarine Axum launched four torpedoes, sinking cruiser HMS Cairo and damaging oil tanker SS Ohio and cruiser HMS Nigeria. A combined Italian-German air attack sank two merchant ships. 9pm: Italian submarine Alagi sank a merchant ship and damaged cruiser HMS Kenya; another submarine, Bronzo, sank another merchant ship. 13 August 0-2am: a MAS attack sank cruiser HMS Manchester and six merchant ships. Marshal Kesselring, commander of the German Air Command based in Sicily, denied air coverage to the Italian cruiser division, having little consideration for the fighting capability of the Regia Marina, and preferring to use his aircraft for direct attacks on the British convoy. Without the protection of the aircraft, and considering the proximity of the air base of Malta, Supermarina (the Regia Marina High Command) decided to withdraw the cruisers to Messina. British submarine Safari damages Bolzano and Attendolo. Aftermath Axis air and sea attacks sank eleven of the cargo ships as well as one aircraft carrier (Eagle), two cruisers (Manchester and Cairo), and one destoyer (Foresight). The British claimed one Italian submarine and thirty-nine aircraft. Ohio under Capt. Dudley Mason, then the world's largest oil tanker capable of doing over 16 knots, suffered seven direct hits and twenty near misses and lost all power, but taken under two by three destroyers (HMS Penn, HMS Ledbury and HMS Bramham) and arrived in port on 15 August. The arrival of the oil and supplies lifted the siege of Malta. By transferring fighters from the carriers to Malta, the British re-established a creditable air garrison on the island. Malta exerted a block of Axis supplies to North Africa immediately before the Second Battle of El Alamein. British ships taking part in this operation included: - Battleships:
- Aircraft Carriers:
- Cruisers:
- Destroyers:
- Merchant Ships
- SS Almeria Lykes
- MV Brisbane Star'' (damaged, arrived 14 August)
- MV Clan Ferguson
- MV Deucalion
- MV Dorset
- MV Empire Hope
- MV Glenorchy
- MV Melbourne Star (arrived 13 August)
- SS Ohio (tanker, damaged, arrived 15 August)
- MV Port Chalmers (arrived 13 August)
- MV Rochester Castle (damaged, arrived 13 August)
- SS Santa Elisa (freighter loaded with drums of fuel, sunk)
- SS Waimarana (freighter loaded with drums of fuel, sunk)
- MV Wairangi
Notes - The arrival last of the convoy on August 15 1942 coinsided with the Feast of the Assumption (Santa Marija) and to this day the convoy is known in Malta as the Santa Marija Convoy or Sta Marija Convoy. The public holiday and celebrations which occure on that day are in part carried out in celebration of the the arrival of the convoy. For the fortitude and courage of the Maltese during the seige, Malta was awarded the George Cross.
External link Operation Pedestal Pedestal Pedestal
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