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{TEXTBOOK} Pedestal: the Convoy That Saved Malta Pdf Free Download PEDESTAL: THE CONVOY THAT SAVED MALTA PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Peter C. Smith | 224 pages | 01 Jul 2010 | Crecy Publishing | 9780907579199 | English | Cheshire, United Kingdom Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta PDF Book The Siege of Malta was broken by the Allied re-conquest of Egypt and Libya after the Second Battle of El Alamein 23 October — 11 November and by Operation Torch 8—16 November in the western Mediterranean, which enabled land-based aircraft to escort merchant ships to the island. Malta was a strategic linchpin and, therefore, a prime target of the enemy. Latest News Request Brochure. We steamed into battle and opened up on the enemy planes. Greene, J. As her battered bows passed between the outer moles of the harbor, the silence ashore was broken by a faint cheer. I must warn you that if you choose to go ashore, you will be kept in custody of the naval provost marshal until the operation is over. Two more bombs straddled the tanker, lifting her out of the water. Tuesday evening quite a few bombs were dropped but no other ships were hit. Wellum, G. This also proved to be a failure, so that idea went west. Can remain afloat for only a few hours. London: Chatham. Though she continued to settle until her decks were awash, they fought her through until dusk that day brought them under the protection of the hard fighting air force of Malta. Syfret convened a conference on 29 July, for Flag and Commanding Officers of the naval forces for Pedestal at Scapa, to consider the orders for the operation. Contact Us. Suddenly she was hit, and smoke and flames burst from her, both aft and forrard. SS Ohio in peacetime colors. The MJB took B guns crew to the Ohio to receive the wires, but before this could be done a lot of debris had to be cleared including a damaged whaler. Then we sailed again for Gibraltar and later England. Thus ended the Malta convoy of August The engine room became silent, and the wrecked generators darkened the tanker. Hooton, E. Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta Writer Map showing the Aegadian Islands, west of Sicily. Priority was given to the destruction of aircraft carriers, to prevent them from intervening when Italian surface forces closed in on the remnants of the convoy. Towards late afternoon we realised that Jerry had been waiting for us. I think we deserved it. The loss of Eagle with its 16 aircraft and the damage to Indomitable which kept its 47 more aircraft out of action, reduced the number of operational fighters to eight Sea Hurricanes, three Martlets and ten Fulmars, as Force Z was due to leave the convoy, to remain outside the range of Axis aircraft based in Sardinia. Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal. Roskill, S. While costly for the Allies, it was a strategic victory ; the arrival of Ohio justified the decision to hazard so many warships; its cargo of aviation fuel revitalised the Maltese air offensive against Axis shipping. Ten submarines were to wait between Fratelli Rocks and the northern entrance to the Skerki Bank, some arrayed north-west of Cap Bon, to co-operate with aircraft. The previous night U boats had made an attack and played merry hell with the convoy. Four Sea Hurricanes and Fulmars took off from the two carriers for air cover and every aircraft was readied to fly. The Spitfire was thrown into the air by the rise on the flight deck, bounced onto the forward slope, fell off the front near stalling speed and narrowly avoided ditching. At daylight on August 14, the sixth morning of the operation, the Ohio caught up with the convoy and resumed her station in the starboard column. Two more bombs straddled the tanker, lifting her out of the water. The Germans and Italians were determined to knock it out. Well ahead on the horizon steamed four cruisers with attendant destroyers, while, far out on the port beam, five cruisers and six destroyers screened the carriers Indomitable and Victorious. A March convoy of 3 merchant ships plus a Navy oiler, was accompanied by 4 cruisers and 16 destroyers, while another cruiser and its covering force sailed from Malta to meet them. Our own 4" were firing like the devil. That night, the tanker and destroyer crews, aided by the tugs, struggled to keep the Ohio afloat by passing more hawsers beneath her. Force K was re-established at Malta and in Operation Portcullis 1—5 December , five ships were dispatched and arrived safely. Times when the very landscape appears to shift. The arrival of four merchant ships and a tanker was unsatisfactory , because the revival of Malta as an offensive base would affect Axis supply routes in what might be the "decisive phase of the struggle for North Africa". Then we started the last stage of the hellish trip to Malta at seven knots! Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta Reviews The aging flattop —launched in as a Chilean battleship and completed as a carrier in —sank in eight minutes. Commanded by Rear Admiral A. Against the glow of the setting sun, the sky was black with bursting shells interlaced with streaming tracers. Fliegerkorps II sent 26 Ju 88s in several waves and at , 16 Ju 87s escorted by eight Bf s and eight Bf s attacked. The sub was probably sunk and the Eagle sank in minutes. Tugs sailed out to assist the three ships, and Captain Mason gained the respite for which he had prayed. The Allies had lost thirteen vessels, including nine merchantmen, one aircraft carrier Eagle , two cruisers Manchester and Cairo and a destroyer Foresight but the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy had saved Malta. Back to top. The quantity of anti-aircraft fire had led many aircrew to release their bombs and torpedoes early but the Italian aircraft from Sardinia could refuel and rearm to attack again and a Cant Z and several Luftwaffe aircraft continued to shadow the convoy. Mason paced the bridge, fearful of what lay ahead. Axis planners lacked information about Allied plans but had fair knowledge of the Allied order of battle and the movement of Allied forces inside the Mediterranean, from the reports of ship-watching stations near Gibraltar, reconnaissance aircraft and submarines. Photograph of a Sea Hurricane New York: E. The four barriers were to cause the convoy to disperse and be vulnerable to a force of cruisers and destroyers. The 14th cargo vessel, and arguably the most important because she was carrying desperately needed aviation fuel, was the new, 14,ton tanker Ohio. Park, a distinguished fighter group leader in the Battle of Britain, would keep the rest of his air strength, fighters, for support of the Pedestal convoy. Supermarina , the Italian Navy headquarters, considered four contingencies, that the Allies would use their naval strength to protect a convoy, the main Allied battle fleet would sortie to provoke a fleet action, to use a powerful covering force for a convoy to force a passage to the north of Pantelleria, instead of turning west at the entrance to Skerki Bank or to use aircraft-carriers for attacks on Sardinian airfields, to ease the passage of a convoy. The steadfast manner in which these ships pressed on their way to Malta through all the attacks, answering every maneuvering signal like a well-trained fleet unit, was a most inspiring sight. These are her critical months, and we cannot fail her. Failing to overwhelm its defenders, the enemy clamped a tight blockade around Malta. Many submarine alarms were possibly caused by ghost Asdic contacts, caused by the warm waters of the Mediterranean. But her helm was jammed hard to port, causing her to swing from side to side. In August of that year Operation Pedestal was launched - a last attempt to relieve Malta. Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta Read Online The Italian ship showed French recognition lights and the British destroyers ended the engagement; Force Y arrived at Gibraltar at about on 14 August. Two Italian bombers hit the carrier HMS Victorious , but their armor-piercing bombs rebounded from her armored deck. Naval War College Review. So started the mad dash through the Straits of Pantaleria to Malta. We were just off Sardinia and everything the enemy had was sent out to try and get us. Our own 4" were firing like the devil. He paused, and there was no movement from his tense crew members. Observers on Gorizia and Bolzano had seen torpedo tracks and Gorizia was turned sharply but Bolzano was hit while beginning its turn. We returned to the Nigeria and Cairo. At 9, tons, feet long, she and her sister ships, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Montana, Georgia, Delaware, Indiana held , barrels of oil. Aboard the Ohio , Captain Mason paused from helping to keep the fires under control, gave a faint smile, and wept unashamedly. Two cruisers, the Nigeria and Cairo, an oil tanker and another cargo ship were all hit. The SM. The Regia Aeronautica units based in Sardinia managed to prepare eight Cr. Winter All night through we escorted her until we at last caught up with the convoy again. The magnificent courage of this young third officer and cadet-midshipman constitutes a degree of heroism which will be an enduring inspiration to seamen of the United States Merchant Marine everywhere. We really thought the whole damn lot of us were going to blow up, but our luck held. Force K was re-established at Malta and in Operation Portcullis 1—5 December , five ships were dispatched and arrived safely.
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