Operation Vigorous was a World War II operation to deliver a supply convoy (MW-11) that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on the 12th June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on the 16th June. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Port Said (postcard around 1915) Port Said (31. ... For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ...

Background

Until the French surrender and Italy's declaration of war, the Mediterranean had been an Allied "lake". The French Fleet and the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet dominated the only potential and credible adversary, Italy's Regia Marina. Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Australia New Zealand Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... The Mediterranean Fleet was part of the Royal Navy. ... The Italian Regia Marina (literally: Royal Navy) dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification. ...

The French surrender and its consequences changed that. The French Fleet became a potentially potent threat in Axis hands and so was, in part, destroyed, adding to French antipathy towards the British. French bases in North Africa ceased to offer protection to Allied, ie, British, shipping. The Regia Marina possessed potent modern warships, particularly battleships and heavy cruisers, and Italian and Libyan territory provided centrally located bases that could cut British supply routes. Combatants United Kingdom France Commanders James Somerville Marcel-Bruno Gensoul Strength 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 2 cruisers, 11 destroyers 4 battleships, 6 destroyers, 1 seaplane tender Casualties — 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1,297 killed The Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, French North Africa (now... Map of the first (light blue) and second (dark blue — plain and hachured) French colonial empires France had colonial possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. ...

Italy's Libyan territory also threatened Egypt and the strategically important Suez Canal. A catastrophe in Egypt might in turn lead to destablisation of Britain's control of Middle Eastern oil supplies, or even worse, to the Axis gaining control of them. This apocalyptic scenario depended upon Axis forces in North Africa - German and Italian - receiving adequate supplies from Italy. 1881 drawing of the Suez Canal. ...

Malta threatened this Axis supply route, but itself needed regular resupply and reinforcement, in order to be effective and to resist Axis invasion.

By mid-June, 1942, Malta's supply situation had deteriorated. The Luftwaffe had joined the Regia Aeronautica to isolate and starve the island and it had become untenable as an offensive base. Axis armies had advanced into Egypt and Crete thereby acquiring their own advance bases and denying the British safety over much of the eastern Mediterranean. The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Arm or Air Weapon, IPA: [luftvafə]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... The Regia Aeronautica (meaning Royal Air Force) was the Italian air force from 1923 until World War II. // A brief history At the beginning of the twentieth century, Italy was at the forefront of aerial warfare: during the colonization of Libya in 1911, it made the first reconnaissance flight in... Crete (Greek: Κρήτη Kríti; Turkish: Girit) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Fresh aircraft were regularly flown in to Malta, but food and fuel were diminishing. In response, the British invested large amounts of effort to ensure resupply. Two convoys, codenamed Harpoon and Vigorous, were gathered, sailing simultaneously to split the Axis opposition

The convoy assembles

The British Mediterranean Fleet was reinforced, with forces available from the Indian Ocean, for the passage of two simultaneous Malta convoys, one from Gibraltar (Operation Harpoon), the other from Egypt (Operation Vigorous). Ships were sent from Kilindini, Kenya, to Haifa to cover the eastern convoy, including the four Australian N Class destroyers HMAS Norman, HMAS Napier, HMAS Nestor and HMAS Nizam. These formed the 7th Destroyer Flotilla. The Mediterranean Fleet was part of the Royal Navy. ... The Malta Convoys were a series of supply convoys to sustain the Mediterranean island of Malta during World War 2. ... In World War II, Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942. ... Two ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Norman. ... HMAS Napier (G97/D13) was an N -class destroyer laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 26 July 1939, launched on 22 May 1940 and commissioned on 11 December 1940. ... HMAS Nestor (G02) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 26 July 1939, launched on 9 July 1940 and commissioned on 12 February 1941. ... HMAS Nizam (G38) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 27 July 1939, launched on 4 July 1940 and commissioned on 8 January 1941. ...

The Operation Vigorous force of 11 ships and their escorts sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June, and were met on the 13th off Tobruk by Rear-Admiral Philip Vian's Force A, with seven light cruisers and 17 destroyers. Tobruk or Tubruq (Arabic: طبرق; also transliterated as Tóbruch, Tobruch, Ţubruq, Tobruck ) is a town, seaport, municipality, and peninsula in eastern Libya in Northern Africa. ... Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Vian GCB KBE DSO was a British naval officer best known for the incident early in 1940 when a force under his command released captured British merchant sailors from the German supply ship Altmark in Norway. ...

The total escorting force now comprised eight cruisers and twenty-six destroyers supported by corvettes and minesweepers, and also the old battleship Centurion, which, disarmed between the wars, had been refitted with anti-aircraft guns. Two British battleships had been sunk in Alexandria harbour in December 1941 (HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant), so no battleship was available to provide cover: Centurion simulated a commissioned battleship. Nine submarines were deployed as a screen at Taranto HMS Centurion was the second battleship of the King George V class, built at HM Dockyard, Devonport. ... HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of Dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. ... HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy built at the Fairfield shipyards in Glasgow and launched in November 1914. ... Founded 706 BC as Taras () Region Apulia Mayor Rossana Di Bello Area  - City Proper  217 km² Population  - City (2001)  - Density (city proper) 201,349 973/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 40°28 N 17°14 E www. ...

"Bomb Alley"

The convoy sailed through 'Bomb Alley' between German occupied Crete and north Africa and came under intensive bomb, torpedo and surface attacks almost as soon as the convoy had left Alexandria. Early attacks were concentrated on the cruisers and the eleven ships of the convoy but later the destroyers became the principal targets. Crete (Greek: Κρήτη Kríti; Turkish: Girit) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ...

HMS Grove was sunk north of Sollum after two torpedo strikes (from German submarine U-77) on 12 June 1942 at 05:37. Two officers and 108 ratings died, there were 60 survivors.

A merchant ship was damaged by air attacks on the 12th and had to divert to Tobruk. Another merchant ship sent to Tobruk due to engine trouble was sunk by further aircraft attacks.

The Italian Fleet at sea

By the 14th, two ships had been lost to air attack and two more damaged. That evening, Vian learnt that a strong Italian naval force (under Admiral Angelo Iachino) with two battleships, two heavy and two light cruisers plus destroyers had sailed from Taranto to intercept the convoy. The chances of driving them off were slim. Angelo Iachino was the Italian navy commander during the Battle of Cape Matapan. ... Founded 706 BC as Taras () Region Apulia Mayor Rossana Di Bello Area  - City Proper  217 km² Population  - City (2001)  - Density (city proper) 201,349 973/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 40°28 N 17°14 E www. ...

Early on the 15th, the first of five (1-5) course reversals were made as Vigorous tried to break through to Malta. As the convoy now headed eastwards (1), German E-boats from Darnah, Libya launched torpedo strikes. The cruiser HMS Newcastle was damaged by S-56 and the destroyer HMS Hasty was sunk by S-55. Around 07.00, when the Italian fleet was 200 miles to the northwest, the convoy resumed its course for Malta (2). E-boat is the British and American name for the German Schnellboot (S-boot), a small, fast torpedo boat a little larger than the American PT boat and the British MTB. Specification Length - 34. ... The seventh HMS Newcastle was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. ...

Royal Air Force aircraft based on Malta attacked the Italian fleet and disabled the heavy cruiser Trento on the morning of 15 June 1942. She was hit by a torpedo from a Bristol Beaufort at 5:15am. The Trento was immobilized and left behind, while the rest of the fleet continued to pursue the Vigorous convoy. The British submarine HMS Umbra found the damaged ship at 9:10am and torpedoed her, hitting the magazine. The ship sank quickly and over half the crew died. Italian support ships attacked the submarine with depth charges, adding to the death toll. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Trento class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the late 1920s. ... The Bristol Type 152 Beaufort was a large torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from the earlier Blenheim light bomber. ... HMS Umbra (P35) was a group 3 U-class submarine of the Royal Navy, which was commissioned in September 1941 and scrapped in 1946. ... Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ...

Between 09.40 and noon on the 15th, two more course reversals (3 & 4) were made so that once again the convoy was bound for Malta. All afternoon, there were air attacks and, south of Crete, the cruiser HMS Birmingham was damaged and the escort destroyer HMS Airedale was sunk by Ju87 Stukas. During the afternoon of the 15th, no less than twelve aircraft had targeted HMS Airedale, and left it a smoldering wreck. The after end was completely gone: it's believed that the ship's own ammunition or depth charge store had exploded. She was scuttled the following day by HMS Aldenham and HMS Hurworth. Three ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Birmingham, after the city of Birmingham in England. ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the best known Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull wings, fixed undercarriage and siren. ...

On the afternoon of 15 June, a signal was received intimating that the Operation Harpoon convoy had succeeded in reaching Malta from the west.

The convoy was down to six ships when, at about 1800 on 15 June 1942, when the convoy was south west of Crete, HMAS Nestor was straddled by a stick of heavy bombs which caused serious damage to her boiler rooms. She was taken in tow by HMS Javelin but at about 0530 the next morning (16 June), with the destroyer then sinking by the nose, it was decided to scuttle. The crew was transferred to HMS Javelin and she was sunk at about 0700 by depth charges. HMS Javelin (F61) was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 11 October 1937, launched on 21 December 1938 and commissioned on 10 June 1939. ...

Operation abandoned

On the evening of the 15th, in view of the strength of enemy air attacks from the extended network of Axis airfields in North Africa, the presence of a large portion of the Italian fleet, lack of fuel caused by diversionary tactics and seriously depleted ammunition stocks, it was finally decided to abandon the operation and return to Alexandria (course reversal 5).

As the convoy withdrew to Alexandria, the light cruiser HMS Hermione was torpedoed and sunk in the early hours of the 16th by the German submarine U-205, south of Crete, in "Bomb Alley". HMS Hermione was a Dido class cruiser of the Royal Navy. ...

At this time, as the Italian fleet returned to Taranto, an RAF Wellington from Malta torpedoed and damaged the Littorio, but she reached port. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. ... Littorio, high speed manoeuvres, summer 1940. ...

None of the Vigorous ships reached Malta. One cruiser, HMS Hermione; three destroyers, HMS Airedale, Hasty and HMAS Nestor and two merchant ships had been lost in the attempt. Three cruisers, one destroyer and one corvette were damaged. British air attacks sank the Italian cruiser Trento and damaged the Littorio. HMS Hasty (H24) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by William Denny, Brothers and Company, Limited, of Dumbarton in Scotland on 15 April 1935, launched on 5 May 1936 and commissioned on 11 November 1936. ...

Total Allied losses included 8 merchant ships sunk, 3 damaged, 5 cruisers damaged, 4 destroyers sunk, 1 destroyer damaged, 2 corvettes damaged and one torpedo boat sunk. One Italian heavy cruiser was lost, sunk by British submarine after severe damage,

To try to keep the Italian Fleet away from the Vigorous and Harpoon convoys, two forces of submarines had been deployed, one to lay in wait off the Italian base at Taranto, and the other to operate between Sicily and Sardinia, ready for orders to attack any Italian forces. The submarines Proteus, Thorn, Taku, Thrasher, Porpoise, Una, Uproar, Ultimatum and Umbra were detailed to patrol off Taranto, with Safari, Unbroken, Unison and Unruffled between Sicily and Sardinia. For various reasons, the submarines were generally unsuccessful in providing any cover for the convoys, with only the Italian cruiser Trento being sunk, and even that only after it had been crippled by an RAF air attack. The two operations, Vigorous and Harpoon, were important Italian naval victories, but unrepeatable due to the crippling oil shortages suffered by the Italian military machine. Sicilian redirects here. ... Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian, Sardigna or Sardinna in the Sardinian language, is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily is the largest), between Italy, Spain and Tunisia, south of Corsica. ...

The British Spitfire fighters based at Malta needed fuel to fly, just as Malta itself needed supplies. Operation Vigorous had failed. Only two of Operation Harpoon's six ships had reached Malta and Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, the air commander in Malta, told London he had only seven weeks’ fuel left. In August, therefore, almost all the available strength of the Royal Navy was put into the next major convoy operation of the war, Operation Pedestal. The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. Produced by Supermarine, the Spitfire was designed by R.J. Mitchell, who continued to refine it until his death in 1937. ... In World War II, Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts... Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL (June 15, 1892 - February 6, 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II. // Early Life and Army Career Park was born near Auckland, New Zealand. ... British shells fall astern of the Italian light cruiser Muzio Attendolo during the battle Operation Pedestal was a British attempt to get vital supplies to the island of Malta during World War II in mid-1942 during the height of the Axis siege of Malta. ...

The ships

The following are (incomplete) lists of Axis and Allied ships involved in Operation Vigorous.

Allied warships

Seven cruisers: HMS Birmingham (damaged), HMS Hermione (sunk), HMS Arethusa, HMS Newcastle (damaged) HMS Hermione was a Dido class cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... The seventh HMS Arethusa of the Royal Navy was the name ship of her class of light cruisers. ... The seventh HMS Newcastle was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. ...

Twenty-six destroyers:

• 7th Destroyer Flotilla: HMAS Norman, HMAS Napier, HMAS Nestor (sunk), HMAS Nizam
• 22nd Destroyer Flotilla: HMS Hero
• HMS Jervis, HMS Grove (sunk), HMS Hasty (sunk), HMS Airedale (sunk), HMS Aldenham, HMS Hurworth

Four corvettes: Two ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Norman. ... HMAS Napier (G97/D13) was an N -class destroyer laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 26 July 1939, launched on 22 May 1940 and commissioned on 11 December 1940. ... HMAS Nestor (G02) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 26 July 1939, launched on 9 July 1940 and commissioned on 12 February 1941. ... HMAS Nizam (G38) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 27 July 1939, launched on 4 July 1940 and commissioned on 8 January 1941. ... HMS Hero (H99) 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 23 October 1936. ... HMS Jervis (F00), named for Admiral John Jervis (1735–1823), was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 26 August 1937, launched on 9 September 1938 and commissioned on 5 August 1939. ... HMS Hasty (H24) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by William Denny, Brothers and Company, Limited, of Dumbarton in Scotland on 15 April 1935, launched on 5 May 1936 and commissioned on 11 November 1936. ...

Two minesweepers:

Two rescue ships:

Old battleship:

• HMS Centurion

Nine submarines:

• HMS Proteus, HMS Thorn, HMS Taku, HMS Thrasher, HMS Porpoise, HMS Una, HMS Uproar, HMS Ultimatum and HMS Umbra

Two vessels of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Taku after the Taku forts in China. ... HMS Umbra (P35) was a group 3 U-class submarine of the Royal Navy, which was commissioned in September 1941 and scrapped in 1946. ...

Allied merchantmen

• m.v. City of Pretoria

Axis warships

Two battleships:

• Littorio (damaged), Vittorio Veneto

Two heavy cruisers:

• Trento (sunk), Gorizia

Two light cruisers:

• Emanuele Filiberto Duca D'Aosta,

Twelve destroyers:

• Alpino, Antonio Pigafetta, Ascari, Aviere, Bersagliere, Camicia Nera, Geniere, Folgore, Freccia, Legionario, Mitragliere, Saetta

See also

Malta Convoys The Malta Convoys were a series of supply convoys to sustain the Mediterranean island of Malta during World War 2. ...

External references

• Italian outline
• Campaign summary of Malta Convoys
• RN submarines site