During World War II, Operation Collar was a small, fast three-ship convoy that left Britain on 12th Novemeber, 1940 and passed Gibraltar on 24 November, escorted by two cruisers for Malta and Alexandria. This is the current Improvement Drive collaboration! World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria (in Arabic, الإسكندرية, transliterated al-ʼIskandariyyah) is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that countrys second largest city, and the capital...

The cruisers - HMS Manchester and HMS Southampton - carried 1370 Royal Air Force technicians and close escorted the merchant ships New Zealand Star, Clan Forbes and Clan Fraser. The convoy escort - "Force F" - was reinforced by the destroyer HMS Hotspur, and later by the corvettes HMS Peony, Salvia, Gloxinia and Hyacinth, although the corvettes were later unable to maintain speed with the convoy. This group was commanded by Admiral Lancelot Holland. The second HMS Manchester (15) was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... Six Royal Navy ships have borne the name HMS Southampton, named for the great port of Southampton on the south coast of England. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Clan Fraser (Gaelic - Friseal) is a Scottish clan of Gaulish origin. ... HMS Hotspur (H01) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. ... Several ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hyacinth after the hyacinth flower: Hyacinth, launched in 1829, was a sixth-rate sloop. ... Lancelot Ernest Holland (September 13, 1887–May 24, 1941) was an admiral who commanded the British force in the Battle of Denmark Strait in May, 1941 against the German battleship Bismarck. ...

The convoy was covered at a distance to the north by a much stronger naval force - "Force F", commanded by Admiral James Somerville. This comprised the battlecruiser HMS Renown, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the cruisers HMS Sheffield and HMS Despatch and nine destroyers. Sir James Somerville (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was one of the most famous British Admirals during World War II. Born in Weybridge, Surrey, he entered the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1898, and achieved the rank of lieutenant by 1904. ... HMS Renown was the lead ship of a class of three 26,500-ton battlecruisers of the Royal Navy, the other two being HMS Repulse and the cancelled Resistance. ... HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honor of the flagship of the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada. ... HMS Sheffield (24) was a Southampton class cruiser in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. ...

The Italians were aware of this operation and despatched a strong naval force (2 battleships, 6 cruisers, 14 destroyers) under Admiral Inigo Campioni to intercept it. They were themselves met by the covering force, "Force F", and the Battle of Cape Spartivento ensued. The Italian fleet's orders barred it from a decisive encounter. One Italian destroyer and one British cruiser were damaged. The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a minor engagement between naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina on 27 November 1940, during World War II. The battle ended in a draw, but served to convince the...

After the battle, Admiral Somerville’s "Force F" continued towards Malta until late afternoon on the 27th when, just before Cape Bon, they returned to Gibraltar. At midnight on the 28th November, the convoy passed Cape Bon and set course to rendezvous with Admiral Andrew Cunningham’s forces from Alexandria. Shortly after, the convoy split: the Clan Fraser and Clan Forbes went to Malta, and the New Zealand Star, escorted by the destroyers HMS Defender and Hereward, continued to Alexandria. This small convoy was also covered by the cruisers HMS Manchester and Southampton. Bronze bust of Lord Cunningham, looking at Nelsons column and Whitehall Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (7 January 1883–12 June 1963), familiarly known as ABC, was the most famous British admiral of World War II, winning distinction in Mediterranean battles in 1940 and 1941... HMS Hereward (H93), named after Hereward the Wake, was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 28 February 1935, launched on 10 March 1936 and commissioned on 9 December 1936. ...

See also

• Malta Convoys