COMPOSITION OF PEDESTAL CONVOY.

Royal Navy units (Relevant force in brackets) Warship Class Merchant Ships (Convoy WS.5.21.S)

Speedy....Rye....Hebe....Mythe 

ML.121....ML.126....ML.134....ML.135....ML.168....ML.459....ML.462 

Safari....Unbroken....Uproar....Ultimatum....Unruffled....Utmost....United....Una....P.222 

Axis force involved in this campaign

Air units, Naval Units, Army units

Italy

Synopsis: The Convoy

Preparations

Following the Disastrous attempts in June 1942 to reinforce Malta, the Admiralty and British government decided on one last attempt to resupply Malta, in the face of growing Axis power in both Europe and the pacific. In this atmosphere of Allied retreat, Malta was sure to fall before Hitler's planned occupation of Malta, Operation Hercules.

After the June convoys, the Duty Governor of Malta, Sir Edward Jackson came to the conclusion that the Island would be bereft of rations and supplies by 7th September.

The enforced suspension of Russian convoys and the completion of the Occupation of Madagascar, finally gave the Royal Navy enough forces to assemble a sufficiently powerful escort to fight another convoy through to the embattled fortress of Malta. The date chosen, for several factors, including time to assemble the ships and its escorts, plan the operation and the required moonless period vital to avoid the Luftwaffe at night.

Vice-Admiral Syfret was chosen to command and plan the convoy, his experience under Somerville on the Malta route being vital. His Operation Staff Officer was Commander A.H. Thorold, OBE, RN and both arrived in England on 13th July. His senior commanders for the forthcoming mission were:

Rear-Admiral A.L. St G. Lyster, CB, CVO, DSO who was to co-ordinate the aerial defence of the large carrier force.

Rear-Admiral H.M. Burrough, CB, DSO as Rear-Admiral Commanding 10th Cruiser Squadron, to command the close escort force through to Malta (Force X). Veteran of Halberd convoy (September 1941) and several Arctic convoys to Murmansk.

Planning was undertaken at the Admiralty for various reasons, including better security. Battleship cover right throughout was considered but rejected as too risky. It was thought that the Italians wouldn't want to risk their one remaining operational battleship. Nelson and Rodney were assigned to defend the convoy should the Italians decide to try their luck, and were also equivalent to floating anti-aircraft batteries which in view of the extremely strong axis air forces would be invaluable for the convoys defence.

The Force Z carriers, would carry 72 FAA fighters to keep the enemy bombers away from the convoy, but these Fairey Fulmars would be sorely outclassed by any land-based fighters the Germans and Italians might send against them. However, a crash replacement programme replaced most, but not all, of these were replaced by Sea Hurricanes and Grumman Martlets. 18 fighters were to be on CAP at all times, 18 at instant readiness and 12 more in immediate reserve. The RAF would also provide long-range escort planes from Gibraltar and Malta to the limit of their range, RAF officers were embarked in certain command cruisers to co-ordinate RAF-RN activities. Two Fighter Direction ships were provide to the convoy, where one was normally hard to obtain. RAF strength at Malta for the operation was nominally 250 aircraft, but normally about 180 were available at any time.

The most vital ships of the convoy, was the sole available Tanker. A US ship, Ohio, would be the only modern tanker available to make the run to Malta, The Kentucky, a similar ship being sunk in the June convoy. Every ship, including the Ohio had been heavily armed and has a Naval Liaison Officer embarked to assist in the complicated manoeuvring that would be necessary. Their cargos, totalling some 85,000 tons were chiefly flour, ammunition and shells, although many had dangerous stores of petrol and aviation fuel in cans embarked in case Ohio did not make it.

The Convoy was assigned a WS number, to put the Axis guard off, WS convoys normally sailing for Suez va the Cape of Good Hope. The Convoy assembled at Gourock on Sunday, 2nd August 1942 before setting sail for Gibraltar at 1800 the same day. As they sailed, they picked up their escorts, joined by more ships en route. As soon as Rear-Admiral Burrough arrived, he formed the convoy into two columns and started the first of a long serious of tough exercises, designed to work the clumsy freighters into as near the equivalent of a battle-fleet as possible.

Syfret joined the convoy with the two Battleships at 4pm on the 2nd. The Gibraltar force and Force R would join them at or around Gibraltar to husband precious fuel, and included the main oiling force. Furious was added to the convoy at the last minute, but problems with her new Spitfires required some modifications. On the 4th, the convoy practiced the difficult manoeuvre of changing from four columns to two which it would need to navigate the Skerki Narrows. Every ship was ordered to keep no lights on at night, only the dimmest during the day were allowed and the Civilian ships were not allowed to make smoke.

Against the Convoy, the Italian air force, Regio Aeronautica, would pit 320 fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft along with the German Fliegerkorps II and X, pitting their Ju88's against the convoy from Sardinian bases.

The Attack Begins

Pedestal was discovered by the German Uarsciek on the 11th August, when she picked up noise from the ships propellers and began tailing the convoy. The Uarsciek launched three torpedoes at an aircraft carrier at 4.42am, and was subjected to a strong series of depth-charge attacks from the escorts. The Torpedoes failed to hit their mark. The Two oilers, at this time, were engaged from 6.45am to 8pm in the final fuelling programme of destroyers and cruisers. At 8.39am, the submarine surfaced and radioed Rome, the Convoy was informed of this signal by Gibraltar at 10.55.

After this, German and Italian aircraft began to appear making reconnaissance sorties over the convoy, and proving very elusive to the FAA fighters, although one aircraft was claimed as destroyed. At 11.28 another submarine attack was reported, again failing to make any hits on the convoy. An hour later, Furious moved out and began to fly off her 41 Spitfires to Malta. At this time, U-73 decided to strike, she closed to five hundred yards, somehow evading the destroyer screen, how remains unknown. Four torpedoes from the U-73 struck Eagle's port side and she immediately began to list to port. Her port wing engine room was badly hit, and the A, C and D boiler rooms flooded, with her port wing bulkhead collapsed in each case. She finally settled bodily at 30 degrees and sank within six minutes.

The destroyers immediately went into action, but it was a full twelve minutes before the first Depth Charges fell after U-73, as the Laforey and Lookout stood by to pull survivors from the Ocean, they succeeded in rescuing 67 officers and 862 ratings out of a 1,160 strong complement. Four fighters had been airborne from the carrier when she had sunk, and made their landings on the two other carriers. This tragic loss denuded Pedestal of 20 percent of its fighter strength. The Escorts and the Gibraltar destroyer flotilla, sent to escort Furious back, carried out an anti-submarine search without success.

The U-73's captain, Rosenbaum, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for this attack. The Flying off of spitfires continued from Furious, and the Furious with her escorts broke away for Gibraltar. On their return leg, they reported a radar contact at 5,000 yards bearing 265 degrees during the night of 11/12th August. Immediately, Wolverine trained its guns an prepared its depth charges. At 800 yards, the contact was identified as a submarine. The destroyer charged at full speed and rammed the submarine amidships, the submarine rolled over and sunk. The submarine was the Italian Dagabur, and there were no survivors. Wolverine suffered from her ramming, her bows were severely damaged by the collision and an auxiliary steam pipe was fractured which necessitated the evacuation of the engine room. Steam was shut off from the Boiler rooms.

Wolverine was guarded by Malcolm as she got her starboard engine up, and worked up to eleven knots and made harbour at Gibraltar at Midday on the 13th August. Furious embarked another 23 Spitfires, which she flew off to Malta on the 17th.

Following the sinking of Eagle, the convoy made a serious of rapid emergency manoeuvres as the outlying wolfpacks closed in and the enemy aircraft continued to probe the convoy defences. A specially converted Ju88 also made an aerial reconnaissance around this time beyond the altitude of the fighters to intercept. The Convoy was warned by Flag Officer North Atlantic that the enemy planned air attack which could be expected to develop at dusk. The Convoy deployed to provide an umbrella of 4-inch AA shells over the merchant ships to deter flank dive-bombing runs down the lines of freighters which the Germans favoured. The Carriers launched their fighters in readiness, several destroyers were away at this time. Laforey was refuelling but detached and returned just in time for the first bombing attack along with the other missing destroyers.

Laforey joined the screen some fifteen minutes from sunset, and the destroyers on the port bow opened fire, the heavy ships joining in with seconds. The attack started with 30 Ju88s and Six 11/FG26s Heinkel 111 torpedo-bombers. The Heinkels were discouraged enough by the barrage to be put off their torpedo runs. Two aircraft pressed home their attacks on the Victorious, but her guns claimed to have shot both down. Two bombs were dropped and fell close astern without causing any damage. The only casualty from this raid was Manchesters' Walrus scout plane, which was hit by bomb splinters while still in her hanger. The destroyer Quentin also picked up a sonar contact and made three determined attacks without results before leaving to rejoin the convoy. The air attack had died away ten minutes before Quentin rejoined the convoy. This first raid, however, was just a probe. A test for the big raids planned for the morning.

Night came with some respite for the tired ships and their crews, and on Malta the RAF were preparing to take a hand in the events. The RAF medium, light and heavy bombers were making small raids on Sardinian and Sicilian airfields in an attempt to take some of the pressure off the ships. At Elmas the British bombers were spotted, and the enemy was able to get its planes away. But, at Decimomannu the British bombers achieved complete surprise and destroyed six bombers, badly damaging several others. As the flight returned too Malta, it sighted Admiral da Zara's 7th Cruiser Squadron which had just sortied out from the harbour and was steering east. The Beaufighters shadows the group for a while, but were low on fuel an headed back to Malta. A Wellington was sent out to keep an eye on the Italians, 'O for Orange', the Wellington made as ASV sighting at 2,500 feet ad reported locating four cruisers and eight destroyers steering east. She then shadows the ships into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Wellington made an ineffectual bombing attack at 1.30am on the 12th before turning back to Malta. A Special Boat Party force was also put ashore at Catania, and made an abortive attack on the airfield. The NCO being captured and the rest of the party being discovered by local fishermen and arrested before even reaching the airfield. A further deception was planned, with the depleted Mediterranean fleet making a Bogus convoy run into the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean in a hope to bring out the Italian and German forces in that area. Some Axis forces were diverted and shipping in the Aegean was suspended as extended air searched failed to locate the small convoy and its escort on the night of 11th/12th, and the Axis forces made preparations to inertecpt a group of ships they believed was due to leave Alexandria for Malta.

Force Y, the remains of the 'Harpoon' convoy passed through the Sicilian channel that same night, almost without event. Two Merchant ships and their two escorting destroyers which were barely seaworthy. Force Y sped west as the enemy searched for a mythical cruiser squadron about 150 miles east-south-eat of Malta. Force Y exchanged fire without consequence with a mining detail of the Italian Navy, which was displaying Vichy French signals and fired first.

The Italian squadron under Admiral da Zara rendezvoused with the Gorizia, Bolzano, Muzio Attendolo and Trieste on the evening of the 11th/12th and headed for the Convoy. The Pedestal convoy had been unmolested during the night, but the 12th August was a beautifully sunny day, with calm seas. The Axis reconnaissance aircraft soon located the convoy. Wolf-Packs were also around, and the carriers flew off a standing patrols of Fulmars and Sea Hurricanes, two from each ship at 6.30am and later a standing air patrol of 12 fighters as constantly airborne with all the other serviceable units at instant readiness.

The U-boats, though, were under no illusions. The convoys escort was at full strength and any attack by U-boat would be met with a warm depth-charged reception, so they contented themselves with shadowing the convoy and providing up-to-date reports for the High Command in Rome. The first attack began at 9.07, of 19 Ju88s. 4 were claimed shot down, for one lost fighter. Two were shot down by AA fire. The Germans claimed to have sunk one cruiser and two merchantmen but had inflicted no damage at all. A Shadower, an Italian Sm79, was shot down by two Fulmars from 884 Squadron soon afterwards. Although other snoopers kept probing the defences, only to be turned back by volleys from the destroyers main guns.

At 7.41 the Kenya had spotted torpedo tracks and turned, avoiding trhee torpedoes. 9.20 had seen Laforey attack a submarine, the Fury picked her up 12 minutes later and joined by the Foresight hunted her, dropping several pattern of depth-charges. The Italian Submarine, Brin, evaded the destroyers and escaped.

At 9.22 the destroyers Bicester and Ledbury fell back stern of the convoy a reserves for U-boat hunts, and the standing patrols of Albacores from the carriers as well as Malta based long range aircraft kept the submarines at bay. A Sunderland from Gibraltar, fund the Italian submarine, Giada as she cruised northwest of Algiers to intercept the convoy. The Sunderland delivered a depth-charge attack and damaged her with near misses. The Submarine, submerged and escaped, although somewhat damaged. Another Sunderland spotted the submarine when it surfaced to make for port and attacked, damaging the submarines bows with a four-stick pattern. She then radioed Gibraltar and was shot down by the Submarines weapons, the Submarine limped into Valencia soon after Midnight. She did not return to attack pedestal again.

A further Submarines, U-205 approached the convoy at 11.35am form the port bow, but was detected and attacked by Pathfinder who was swiftly reinforced by Zetland, they plastered te U-boat which slunk away for repairs.

More Axis bomber formations moved in at midday, in an attack designed to combine all available forms of attack into one devastating combined assault, designed to cause maximum damage to convoy and escort. They threw obsolete fighters and minelayers against the escorts, while Macchi Mc22 fighters tangled with the FAA Sea Hurricanes. S84 formed the main bomber force. Fortunately, the attacking waves did not keep to their timetable and the convoy was afforded enough respite between waves to recover. Ju88s also joined in the attacks. The Axis forces managed to only claim the Deucalion, a freighter carrying passengers and Army and Navy gunners to Malta. A four bomb stick was dropped almost on top of the freighter and the fourth scored a direct hit on the No.6 Derrick and penetrating No.5 hold. Seriously disabled, the Bramham stood by her and the freighter was worked upto 8 knots, the two ships moved south and the Luftwaffe returned to them in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the FAA fighter continued to engage the Junkers. The third wave of the Italian assault and cleverly planned and thought out. It included two Special Combat Units, intended as nasty surprises for the two surviving British carriers. The first was a flying bomb unit, a standard Sm79 bomber fitted with short-range remote control and filled with tons of high explosives. once in range and set on course, the pilot would bale out and a specially fitted Cant Z1007b11 would control the bomber by radio to its target. These two planes had an escort of five G50 fighters. However, en route, the radio gear failed and the Sm79 droned on until it ran out of fuel and crashed. The plane crashed in French Algeria, the Vichy French were not pleased by the possibility it might have hit one of their cities. The second 'Special' was two fighters fitted with AntiPersonnel fragmentation bombs which were to be dropped on the carrier decks when their fighters had landed, thereby catching the deck crews and fighters when at their most vulnerable, originally it would have been armour-piercing bombs but these were found to be faulty. As the FAA fighters landed, the Two Italian aircraft dived on the Victorious and dropped their bombs, the bombs bounced along the flight deck like a couple of cricket balls. Having achieved complete surprise, the Italians were dismayed when the bombs, at little more than a hundred pounds each failed. One broke up on the armoured deck of the Victorious, showering the deck with small splinters as it had been designed to do. The other slid across the flight-deck and exploded on the carriers bow. The attack had killed six and wounded two men. Both Re2001s escaped unharmed.

With the air attack over, the Submarines returned. The following two hours led to numerous reports of submarine sightings and asdic contacts. Syfret also ordered every destroyer to depth-charge on each side of the screen every ten minutes between 1400 and 1900. The Italian submarine Cabalto was depth-charged by Tartar, then escaped, was found again by Pathfinder and then Zetland. badly damaged she broke the surface astern of the convoy, and the vigilant lookouts aboard the Ithuriel spotted her. The Destroyer heaved around as the Submarine dived again, and was promptly depth-charged. She then broke surface again well out of control behind the Ithuriel, the destroyer turned and with her forward 4.7inch guns blazing, rammed the submarine abaft the conning tower. Ithuriel stopped to assess her own damage and picked up 3 officers, including the captain and 38 ratings from the Cabalto.

While absent from the fleet, Ithuriel was attacked by a Ju88 and four Cr42 fighter-bombers, her captain skillfully steered her through the bombs despite her reduced speed due to damage. The remaining submarines continued to attack, the Emo tried next and decided to attack an aircraft carrier, having nearly completed his run, the convoy suddenly changed course and brought a cruiser and some destroyers between him and his target. He decided to attack the cruiser instead and at 4.33 he launched all four bow torpedoes at her from 2,000 metres' range. Some minutes later he heard three explosions, several second apart. He had missed, but fleet certain he had sunk the cruiser. Tartar however, had spotted the tracks and followed them up to deliver an attack. Emo had started to withdraw when at 4.37 the first two shocks and concussions rocked her. The destroyer Lookout had spotted the Submarines periscope as she dived and joined the Tartar, both ships dropped two more patterns, but the submarine escaped undamaged. Many of the attacks had not been directed against his boat, but the Avorio which had ventured into range after spotting the convoy at 5.08, and decided to attack a battleship and changed course to bring this vessel into line.

The Avorio closed, but was stopped by two destroyers. The captain did not believe he could have been spotted and continued on course, but the destroyers did not turn and at 5.30 the submarine was shaken by depth-charges, and with his hydrophones not working gave up his attack and lay still for the next five hours after diving to a safe depth. At 10.25 he was finally forced to surface and found the area deserted, the submarine steered north at a slow speed, recharging its depleted batteries.

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