AUGUST 10-11th. night
Entered Gibralter in heavy fog
August 11
4 torpedoes from German U-73 sink carrier EAGLE,
260 men lost,all but 4-planes lost.
CarrierFURIOUSflies off 36-planes for MALTA,
turns back as planned.
Destroyer rams and sinks Italian submerine.
40-German bombers attack convoy.
AUGUST 12th.
20-Junker 88s attack convoy.
Submerine attacks.
100-German and Italian planes attack-
DEUCALION sunk by ariel torpedo,
dud hits Carrier VICTORIOUS.Italian submerine forced to
surface by depth charges
30-Junker 87s attack carrier INDOMITABLE hit 3-times,
destroyer FORESIGHT damaged by ariel torpedo
and had to be sunk.
Cruisers CAIRO and NIGERIA torpedoed by Italian submerines,
CAIRO abandond,NIGERIA returns to Gibralter.
OHIO torpedoed by Italian submerine and on fire.
Manages 13 knots after repair.
20-Junker 88s attack.Gunners on ALMERIA LYKES
shoot down 2-planes.
EMPIRE HOPE bombed,high octane gas on fire,
abandoned and sunk by escort.
CLAN FERGUSON hit and explodes,
Italian submerine rescues 53 survivors.
BRISBANE STAR hit by torpedo,
Cruiser KENYA damaged by torpedo from Italian submerine.
AUGUST 13th. Passed through minefields between Africa and Cicily
around midnight,8-Italian torpedo boats made 15 attacks
cruiser MANCHESTER hit and sinks,
SANTA ELISA hit by torpedo,
entire ship on fire,and abandoned,
ALMERIA LYKES torpedoed sinks immediately,
WAIRANGA< and torpedoed,on fire,and sinks.
ROCHESTER CASTLE torpedoed but keeps going,
it is now 4am.
AUGUST 13th continued
Fighters from Malta fired on by convoy because communications out.
12 Junkers 88s attack WAIMARANA
hit aviation gas on deck bursts into fire, ship explodes and sinks,
87 of 107 crew killed.
Wreckage starts fire on MELBOURNE STAR.60 Stuka dive bombers attack,
focus on OHIO.Junkers 88 crashes into OHIO.
OHIOmines,torpedoes and circling torpedoes,
2-bombs straddle her,lift her out of the water,
boilers blown,she is dead in the water at 10.50am.
DORSET disabled by three near misses,
engine room flooded,,high octane gas on fire, ship abandoned.
12 Italian torpedo bombers attack PORT CHALMERS,
catches torpedo in paravane
(submerged floats meant to catch mines)
Bomb hits KENYA,sets forward engine room on fire, fire put out,.
Fighters from Malta provide some air cover.
ROCHESTER CASTLE,PORT CHALMERS, and MELBOURNE STAR
steam on to meet escort from Malta,
reach Grand Harbour in Valetta at 6pm.
Junkers 88s attack on OHIO,
OHIO nearly split in two as bomb hits in same area as torpedo,
crew abandon ship,Italian torpedo bombers attack.
AUGUST 14th.
BRISBANE STAR arrives in Malta.
Source=http://www.usmm.org

If those five ships had not got through, Malta would have certainly fallen, and who knows what might have happened.

10th-15th, Malta Convoy, Operation 'Pedestal' (map) - For Malta to survive another convoy had to be fought through, and the biggest operation ever was mounted from the Gibraltar end. A total of fourteen merchantmen, including two American and the British-manned tanker "Ohio" (Capt D. W. Mason) had a massive escort. Close in under Rear-Adm Harold Burrough were cruisers "Nigeria", "Kenya", "Manchester" and "Cairo" and 12 destroyers. Covering were three fleet carriers "Eagle", "Indomitable" and "Victorious" each with their accompanying cruisers "Charybdis", "Phoebe" and "Sirius" respectively, battleships "Nelson" and "Rodney", and another 12 destroyers. Eight more destroyers sailed with the force - to give a total of 44 major warships. The opportunity would be taken for carrier "Furious" to fly off 38 Spitfires for Malta and the Mediterranean Fleet would try to distract the enemy at the other end of the Mediterranean. In overall command of 'Pedestal' was Vice-Adm E. N. Syfret. The convoy passed Gibraltar on the 10th and from the next day was subjected to increasingly intense attacks by submarines, aircraft and later coastal forces. Early on the afternoon of the 11th, "Furious" sent off her Spitfires and later that day headed back for Gibraltar. On the 12th one of her escorting destroyers "Wolverine", rammed and sank Italian submarine "DAGABUR" off Algiers. Still on the 11th and now north of Algiers, "EAGLE" was torpedoed four times by "U-73" and went down. Air attacks took place later that day and early on the 12th, but not until noon, south of Sardinia, did they gain their first success. Italian and German aircraft slightly damaged "Victorious" and hit a merchantman which later sank. More submarines then appeared and the Italian "COBALTO" was rammed by destroyer "Ithuriel". Once the convoy was north of Bizerta, Tunisia, submarine, aircraft and Italian MTB (MAS) attacks came fast and furiously. At 18.30, still on the 12th, aircraft badly damaged "Indomitable" putting her out of action and destroyer "FORESIGHT" was torpedoed by an Italian bomber and scuttled next day. The main Royal Navy cover force next turned back at the entrance to the 100 mile wide Strait of Sicily. The convoy carried on, still with 13 of the original 14 merchantmen afloat and its close escort of four cruisers and 12 destroyers. Disaster struck soon after 20.00 to the northwest of Cape Bon. Three of the four cruisers were put out of action by Italian submarines. "Axum" and "Dessie" hit "Nigeria" and "Cairo" and the vital tanker "Ohio", and "Alagi" torpedoed "Kenya". "CAIRO" was scuttled and "Nigeria" headed back to Gibraltar. Around this time aircraft sank two transports. Cruiser "Charybdis" and two destroyers left the the main cover force and returned east to replace the lost ships. In the early hours of the 13th, the convoy was hugging the coast south of Cape Bon when Italian MTBs attacked. Four merchantmen were sent to the bottom and the last of the original close escort cruisers "MANCHESTER" was hit and scuttled. Air attacks later that morning accounted for one more merchantman and disabled another which was finished off in the evening. And to add to the torpedo hit, "Ohio" loaded with its highly inflammable cargo was now damaged by bombs and a crashing Ju87 Stuka. Including her, just five ships were left. Now into the afternoon of the 13th, three reached Malta. The fourth struggled in next day, but the crippled "Ohio", lashed to destroyer "Penn", only made port on the 15th. (Capt Mason was awarded the George Cross). By now the close escort had just returned to Gibraltar. Earlier, an Italian cruiser force set out to add to the convoy's miseries, but turned for home. North of Sicily on the 13th it was sighted by submarine "Unbroken" (Lt A. C. G. Mars) and heavy cruiser "Bolzano" and light cruiser "Attendolo" were torpedoed and damaged. Only five out of fourteen transports had got through to Malta for the loss of one aircraft carrier, two cruisers and a destroyer sunk, and a carrier and two cruisers badly damaged. But the supplies delivered - and especially "Ohio's" oil - were enough to sustain Malta as an offensive base at a time critical to the coming Battle of El Alamein. More was still needed however, and only two days after "Ohio's" arrival, "Furious" flew off more Spitfires while submarines continued to make supply trips. 22nd - Italian torpedo boat "CANTORE" was lost on mines laid by submarine "Porpoise" northeast of Tobruk. North Africa - Just as Gen Montgomery assumed command of Eighth Army, Rommel made his last attempt to get round the El Alamein defences. In the Battle of Alam Halfa, the German-Italian attack broke on the ridge of that name 15 miles behind the main lines. By early September he was back to his starting position. 29th - As escort destroyer "ERIDGE" returned from bombarding Axis positions west of El Alamein, she was torpedoed and badly damaged by a German E-boat. Back in port, she was declared a constructive total loss.