After the fall of France in 1940 Malta became the lynchpin of the Allied campaigns in the Mediterranean and North African theatres. The island was, however, extremely difficult to keep supplied, and by the summer of 1942 the situation for its beleaguered garrison and civil population was desperate. The Pedestal convoy of August that year was deemed the last chance. The US built OHIO, being the only tanker, was marked for particular attention and during the course of her voyage suffered direct hits from a torpedo, bombs, and was struck by two Luftwaffe aircraft shot down while attacking her. Despite this, with her engines dead, her hull practically broken in two, but with her vital cargo largely intact, she was towed into Grand Harbour by three destrroyers and a minesweeper. Malta and her defenders had gained a crucial reprieve.
