By mid-1942, the Maltese Archipelago was under total blockade by Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica forces. With aviation fuel and grain stocks down to less than three weeks' reserve, the Allied High Command launched Operation Pedestal: a massive convoy of 50 vessels dispatched through the Straits of Gibraltar to break the siege.
The Legend of SS Ohio & SS Santa Elisa
Among the merchantmen was the American-built tanker SS Ohio, carrying 13,000 tons of high-octane kerosene and diesel. Subjected to continuous torpedo strikes, dive-bombing, and E-boat attacks, the Ohio's engines failed and her hull split. Supported on either side by the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Penn and HMS Bramham, the crippled tanker was towed into Grand Harbour on August 15, 1942—the Feast of St. Mary (Santa Marija).
- Convoy Departure: August 3, 1942 (United Kingdom / Gibraltar)
- Arrival in Malta: August 13–15, 1942
- Vessels Dispatched: 14 Merchant Ships, 3 Aircraft Carriers, 2 Battleships, 7 Cruisers, 32 Destroyers
- Surviving Merchant Ships: 5 (SS Ohio, SS Port Chalmers, SS Rochester Castle, SS Melbourne Star, SS Brisbane Star)
Strategic Turning Point in the Mediterranean
The arrival of aviation fuel allowed Malta's RAF Spitfires and submarine squadrons to resume strikes against General Erwin Rommel's supply convoys heading to North Africa, directly contributing to the Allied victory at El Alamein.