| NEON DEON |
01-10-09 05:44 PM |
Operation Pedestal and the Tanker that refused to die the SS Ohio.
Operation Pedestal was a planned relief by convoy of Malta during 1942.
The Ohio was a 9,263 ton tanker commandeered by the English along with The Kentucky because the English had no fast tankers. They were thrust into the Med with a big bullseye painted on em!
"August 13- Passed through minefields between Africa and Sicily around midnight.
- 8 Italian torpedo boats make 15 attacks
- Cruiser Manchester hit, sinks by evening
- Santa Elisa (US) hit by torpedo, entire ship on fire and abandoned
- Almeria Lykes (US) torpedoed, sinks immediately
- British Wairangi and Glenorchy torpedoed, on fire. No survivors from Glenorchy
- Rochester Castle torpedoed but keeps going. It is now 4 AM.
- 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, 80 of 107 crew killed.
- Wreckage starts fires on Melbourne Star.
- 60 Stuka dive bombers attack, focus on Ohio. Near-miss buckles plates and forward tank fills with water.
- Junkers 88 crashes onto Ohio.
- Junkers 87 bounces off the water, crashes onto Ohio.
- Ohio avoids mines, torpedoes and circling torpedoes.
- 2 bombs straddle her, lift her out of the water. Boilers blown, she is dead in the water at 10:50 AM.
- Dorset disabled by 3 near misses, engine room flooded, high octane gas on fire, abandoned.
- 12 Italian torpedo bombers attack.
- Port Chalmers catches torpedo in paravane (submerged floats meant to catch mines).
- Bomb nearby sets Kenya's forward engine room on fire; fire put out.
- Fighters from Malta provide some air cover.
- Rochester Castle, Port Castle, Melbourne Star steam on to meet escort from Malta, reach Grand Harbour in Valetta at 6 PM.
- Junkers 88 attacks on Ohio. Ohio nearly split in two as bomb hits in same area as torpedo.
- Destroyer tries to tow Ohio, but Ohio wants to go sideways.
- Crew abandons ship.
- Italian torpedo bombers attack."
That was just one day on this action packed Cruise of the Med. Here is the rest of the trip.
http://www.usmm.org/malta.html
And this on the Ohio from Wiki.
http://www.usmm.org/malta.html |
