CONVOY TO MALTA

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 7, 4 October 1943, Page 4

CONVOY TO MALTA

Difficult Months In 1942 Recalled NAVY GETS THROUGH (British Official Wireless.) (Received October 3, 7 p.m.) ItU'GBY, October 2. Now that once again the way to Malta is open, the story can be told of vessels that battered their passage through J une, 1942—the first merchantmen to reach Malta for four months. On June 4, 1942, there sailed from Clyde six merchantmen carrying in all 50,000 tons of food, ammunition and petrol. The convoy was escorted to Gibraltar by two heavy cruisers and destroyers and sloops. At Gibraltar a battleship and two aircraft carriers were added. On-June 14, enemy planes came over in formations of 30 to 50 from all directions. The number of aircraft and the bombs dropped Avere so numerous that it was impossible to keep count. Gunners aboard the merchant and naval ships fought stripped to the waist, and the guns were almost red hot.

Thirty enemy aircraft Avere shot down, some by Hurricanes from the curriers. During the night Hares were dropped by aircraft and the ships were warned that surface craft were coming in to attack. After, a submarine had been sunk by an escort, a cruiser Avas struck and a Dutch merchantman was sunk by torpedo-bomb-ing planes. At dawn next day an Italian squadron of tAvo eight-inch gun cruisers and five destroyers appeared. They opened fire at long range and salvoes fell to the right and left of the convoy, but none of the merchantmen was hit. Escorts laid a smoke screen between the enemy and the convoy and dashed into the attack and drove the Italian ships aAvay. Dive-Bombers’ Toll.

Later came dive-bombers based on Sicily. Another merchantman was hit, burst into flames and began careering into the midst of the convoy. As she xvas loaded Avith explosives the remaining ships crammed on extra speed to avoid her. Soon after the crew had abandoned her, her oil tanks exploded and she sank, leaving a tremendous pall of fire and smoke visible for the rest of the day. Air attacks became incessant throughout the rest of the passage, rising to a peak betAveen Pantellaria and Malta, where submarines also attacked without success. Then tAvo more merchantmen were sunk by dive-bombers. This left only the Troilus and the Orari of the original six. As these neared harbour more enemy aircraft Avere dropping mines. Tavo destroyers and a . minesSveeper were mined, and the Orari struck a mine that exploded in the only hold Avhich held neither petrol nor ammunition, but she limped into port. After discharging their cargoes the tAvo ships left, carrying scrap metal and ammunition cases and a large number of worn-out gun barrels. Much of the scrap Avas the Avreckage of Axis aircraft. The Troilus and Orari Avere the only two ships to reach Malta and discharge betAveen February and August.