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MV Melbourne
Star Blue Star Line |
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The Royal Navy and
Merchant Ships of 'Operation Pedestal' August 1942 |
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The
hardest fought convoy to Malta during World War II |
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In
the summer of 1942, under the utmost secrecy, a convoy comprising
fourteen of the fastest merchant ships afloat, departed Scotland bound
for the tiny island of Malta, in the eastern Mediterranean. Under
orders from Winston Churchill the convoy was to be escorted by the
heaviest concentration of naval warships ever assigned to protect
merchant shipping. At worst some of the ships must get through, or
Malta would fall. Churchill instructed that he be kept informed as to
the progress of the convoy at every stage. On August 10, 1942 the most heavily defended convoy of WWII slipped quietly through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean. Carrying food, diesel oil, coal, and vital aviation fuel, 14 merchant ships escorted by 34 naval warships would attempt to get through to the beleaguered island of Malta. During the three days and nights that followed, the convoy - codenamed 'Operation Pedestal' - would endure the most ferocious and heaviest bombardment of any convoy during World War II. |
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![]() Vice-Admiral EN Syfret Officer Commanding 'Operation Pedestal' |
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Tribute has been
paid to the personnel of H.M. Ships but both officers and men will
desire to give first place to the conduct, courage and determination of
the Masters, officers and men of the merchant ships. The steadfast
manner in which these ships pressed on their way to Malta through all
attacks, answering every manoeuvring order like a well trained fleet
unit, was a most inspiring sight. Many of these fine men and their
ships were lost but the memory of their conduct will remain an
inspiration to all who were privileged to sail with them. |
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The
Royal Navy 'Convoy Escort' |
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Battleships Nelson ~ Rodney HMS Nelson ~ Flag Ship ~ Vice-Admiral EN Syfret |
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Aircrft Carriers Victorious ~ Indomitable ~ Eagle ~ Furious |
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Light Cruisers Phoebe ~ Sirius ~ Charybdis |
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Destroyers Laforey ~ Lightning ~ Lookout ~ Quentin ~ Somali Eskimo ~ Tartar ~ Ithuriel ~ Antelope ~ Wishart ~ Keppel Vansittart ~ Wescott ~ Wrestler ~ Zetland ~ Wilton |
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The
Royal Navy 'Close Escort Merchant Ships' |
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![]() HMS Nigeria ~ Flag Ship ~ Rear-Admiral HM Burrough Transferred to Destroyer HMS Ashanti after Nigeria torpedoed. |
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Cruisers Nigeria ~ Kenya ~ Manchester ~ Cairo Destroyers Ashanti ~ Bramham ~ Bicester Derwent ~ Foresight ~ Fury ~ Intrepid Icarus ~ Ledbury ~ Pathfinder ~ Penn |
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Aircraft Carrier HMS
Eagle |
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Capt.
LD Mackintosh 13.15 Tuesday 11th August 1942 Sunk by four torpedoes from German U-Boat U-73 927 Survivors picked up by Destroyers Laforey, Lookout and Tug Jaunty 16 Sea Hurricanes Lost 162 Crew Lost |
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Cruiser
HMS
Cairo Captain CC Hardy DSO Wednesday 12th August 1942 Sunk by the Italian submarine Axum north of Bizerta, Tunisia. 24 Crew Lost |
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Cruiser HMS Nigeria Captain SH Paton 20.00hrs Wednesday 12th August 1942 Attacked by enemy submarine torpedo. Heavily damaged returned to Gibraltar. 52 Crew Lost |
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Cruiser
HMS Manchester Captain H Drew DSO Thursday 13th August 1942 At 0105hrs some 4 miles off Kellibia, Tunisia, was struck amidships on the starboard side by two torpedoes fired by Italian E-Boats and sank at 0400hrs. 10 Crew Lost The complete history of HMS Manchester can be found at: www.2ndhmsmanchesterassoc.org.uk |
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Destroyer/Minesweeper
HMS Foresight Captain Lt Commander RA Fell Thursday 13th August 1942 Heavily damaged by Italian aircraft torpedo was scuttled by HMS TARTAR 4 Crew Lost |
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The Merchant Ships 1) Melbourne Star 2) Clan Ferguson 3) Deucalion 4) Empire Hope 5) Almeria Lykes 6) Dorset 7) Glenorchy 8) Santa Elisa 9) Waimarama 10) Wairangi 11) Rochester Castle 12) Ohio 13) Port Chalmers
14) Brisbane Star
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Constantly
under attack, day and night, from aerial bombing, submarine
torpedo and E-Boat attack, 9
Merchant Ships were
sunk, the remaining 5 Merchant Ships arrived at Malta with their
valuable cargo. |
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MV
Deucalion Captain Ramsey Brown 'Blue Funnel Line' 13.40 Wednesday 12th August 1942 Sunk by Aerial Torpedo |
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MV
Clan
Ferguson Captain A N Cossar 'Clan Line Steamers Ltd' 20.15 Wednesday 12th August 1942 Sunk by Aerial Bombs 9 Crew Lost - 53 Survivors |
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MV
Empire
Hope Captain G Williams 'Shaw, Savill & Albion Line' 20.15 Wednesday 12th August 1942 Sunk by Aerial Bombs |
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MV
Wairangi Captain H R Gordon 'Shaw, Savill & Albion Line' 02.15 Thursday 13th August 1942 Sunk by German E-Boat Torpedo |
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SS
Almeria
Lykes Captain W Henderson 'Lykes Bros Steamship Co' 05.10 Thursday 13th August 1942 Sunk by Torpedo |
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SS
Waimarama Captain R S Pearce 'Shaw, Savill & Albion Line' 08.16 Thursday 13th August 1942 Sunk by 12 Junkers 88s attack 80 Crew Lost including the 'Master' |
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MV
Dorset Captain J C Tuckett 'New Zealand Shipping Company' 09.38 Thursday 13th August 1942 Bombed - Abandoned and Sunk |
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MV
Glenorchy Captain G Leslie 'Glen Line Fleet' 20.15 Thursday 13th August 1942 Sunk by German E-Boat Torpedo 7 Crew Lost including the 'Master' - 88 Survivors taken POW Tunisia |
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SS
Santa
Elisa Captain T Thompson 'Grace Line' 20.15 Thursday 13th August 1942 Sunk by torpedo |
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The
Five
Merchant Ships 'With their valuable cargo intact' arrive at 'Malta's Grand Harbour' |
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MV
Rochester
Castle Captain R Wren 'UNION-CASTLE MAIL STEAMSHIP CO' 1st to arrive 5.30pm Thursday 13th August 1942 |
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Captain
Richard Wren
awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Order’ The London Gazette 8th September 1942 For
fortitude, seamanship and
endurance in taking his ship through to Malta in the face of relentless
attacks by day and night from enemy submarines, aircraft and surface
forces.
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MV
Melbourne
Star Captain D R MacFarlane 'Blue Star Line' 2nd to arrive 6pm Thursday 13th August 1942 14 Crew Lost |
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Captain
David Rattray MacFarlane awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Order’ The London Gazette 8th September 1942 For
fortitude, seamanship and endurance in taking his ship through to Malta
in the face of relentless attacks by day and night from enemy
submarines, aircraft and surface forces.
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'Pedestal' by P C Smith On page 158 the author states that Capt. MacFarlane perished when the Melbourne Star was sunk in the Atlantic 2 April 1943. This is incorrect! Capt. MacFarlane died of natural causes in 1984 aged 89 |
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MV
Port
Chalmers Captain H G Pinkney 'Commonwealth & Dominion Line' 'Port Line' 3rd to arrive 6.30pm Thursday 13th August 1942 |
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Captain
Henry George Pinkney
awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Order’ The London Gazette 10th September 1942 For fortitude,
seamanship and endurance in taking his ship through to Malta in the
face of relentless attacks by day and night from enemy submarines,
aircraft and surface forces.
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MV
Brisbane
Star Captain F N Riley 'Blue Star Line' 4th to arrive 4.15pm Friday 14th August 1942 1 Crew Member Lost |
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Captain
Frederick Neville Riley
awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Order’ The London Gazette 8th September 1942 For fortitude,
seamanship and endurance in taking his ship through to Malta in the
face of relentless attacks by day and night from enemy submarines,
aircraft and surface forces.
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SS
Ohio Captain D W Mason 'Texas Oil Co' 5th to arrive 7am Saturday 15th August 1942 aided by Destroyers HMS Bramham and HMS Penn |
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Captain Dudley William Mason GC
from Surbiton Surrey England awarded the ‘George Cross’ The London Gazette 4th September 1942 During
the passage to Malta of an important convoy Captain Mason’s ship
suffered most violent onslaught. She was a focus of attack throughout
and was torpedoed early one night. Although gravely damaged, her
engines were kept going and the master made a magnificent passage by
hand-steering and without a compass. The ship’s gunners helped to bring
down one of the attacking aircraft. The vessel was hit again before
morning, but though she did not sink, her engine room was wrecked. She
was then towed. The unwieldy condition of the vessel and persistent
enemy attack made progress slow and it was uncertain whether she would
remain afloat. All next day progress somehow continued and the ship
reached Malta after a further night at sea.
The violence of the enemy could not deter the Master from his purpose. Throughout he showed skill and courage of the highest order and it was due to his determination that, in spite of the most persistent enemy opposition, the vessel, with her valuable cargo, eventually reached Malta and was safely berthed. |
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'Operation Pedestal' The Official Report submitted to the Admiralty by Vice Admiral EN Syfret Published in The London Gazette 1948 (go to the 'Links Page' for details) |
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Next 'Melbourne Star - Her final voyage' |
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Home Page |
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www.melbournestar.co.uk |
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