Note how the Northern Prince, which was delayed due to storm damage sustained on Jan 1st, was immediately re-routed round the Cape after the mauling which the Excess' escort had taken west of and at Malta.
....or because it
was delayed departing - and thus missed Force H for protection, which was merrily steaming through the Central and Eastern Med by the time she departed Gibraltar???
Both these convoys left Malta on January 10, the same day Fliegerkorps X went into action. So arguably, it falls outside of the timeframe.
ONLY the two
Malta-departing elements can be argued away this way; the original three-transport convoy MS.6 that passed Malta and dropped off Exsex/Hero went straight through...and encountered Fliergerkorps X on the 10th and 11th resulting in the loss of
Southampton and damage to
Illustrious - but still made it through all the way with no loss to the transports.
Operation EXCESS
was a multi-layered operation with convoys leaving various locations, timed to rendezvous with others down the line - but this doesn't effect the steaming straight through the Central Med of the original convoy MS.6 element heading for Athens.
That's rather a qualification, no?
No. It's one I made right at the start of this discussion...the high sortie rate required to do damage to RN ships - AND made certain other points about the RN's ability to stand off air attack. Remember them?
One of the points I made was
their PROVEN ability to avoid fall of shot if they had sea room AND correctly trimmed; on the 11th the
Illustrious was hit
when steaming in a straight line into the wind to launch aircraft; one of the major hits she took was a 1000lb bomb on her elevator when she was hoisting armed fighters onto the flightdeck. The aircraft actually on the hoist was destroyed without trace, and the blast destroyed aircraft and did damage on the hangar deck.
Interestingly - if I can find my way back to it again - on the raid on the 16th that the Essex was damaged on...there were TWO massed attacks that day, and here's an eyewitness report that would possibly indicate she wasn't hit at all on that day...OR as some accounts have it - the ONLY bomb that ever
HIT her in Valetta only scored a "glancing blow" on her quarterbridge
with only minimal damage.
Fliergerkorps X did manage to
damage her slightly twice -
but only actually HIT here once...
Found it - from
"Gentleman Cordite" by Lieutenant Commander Warwick of the
Perth.
I was on the bridge next morning shortly after breakfast. The time was about 0900. The refitting and unloading continued. You could see the aircraft carrier's guns' crews cleaning their eight barrel pom poms. The sky was very clear. Far too clear.
The dockyard air raid sirens wailed and a red warning "Attack Imminent" was signalled. I pressed the action alarm signal and we went to full Action Stations. So did the carrier and the little submarine. I was smoking my new pipe. Breaking it in. The army and Maltese defences opened fire. The bursts were out to sea but just visible above the rooftops of the houses, behind the dockyard crane and chimney stacks. The barrage increased in ferocity. Hundreds of shell bursts were dotting the sky - tracer from the 40mm Bofors now criss-crossed the sky, the shells later exploding above 4,000 ft. That meant the enemy were coming in low.
The 'Illustrious' opposite suddenly opened fire with every gun she had - 4.5" and 40mm. Right through our wireless aerials. She with four higher decks had seen them. Our wireless aerials came down, shot away by the carrier.
Then we saw them. I counted four groups of five aircraft. 20 Stukas with a high fighter cover of M.E. 109s. They came weaving in over the rooftops kicking rudder bars right and left to put off our aim. Then we opened fire. The din was terrific. Illustrious' red tracer just clear of our masts.
I turned to see the little submarine in dock. Sluice gates open - water flooding around her for some protection. Submarine Captain and guns' crew all exposed waiting for the ship to be floating so they too could fire their one 4" gun. Their twin Lewis guns in action. The mad barrage increased, Illustrious fighting desperately to ward off these vicious dives. All ships were sitting duck targets.
Then the bombs rained down. The shorts in the dockyard. Overs in the water. Enormous crumps, crashes and vibrations. Water spouts in Dockyard Creek. Blast waves. Debris. More targets coming in. All the enemy painted with yellow noses - the "first eleven" Göring Squadron colours. God how they could fly. I saw one come down in flames and blow up on hitting the ground but they came on and on. Then the firing ceased and in the lull we took stock. The submarine dock was now afloat and ready to fire all guns.
From the 'Essex' astern smoke and dust filtered out of a hold. She had been hit. Our Captain sent our Navigator to investigate and report back. So far we were unhit. Our decks were covered with shrapnel and wireless aerials down. The 'Illustrious' had been near missed by at least three 1,000 pounder bombs. The floating crane alongside her was still afloat.
But a marvellous sight to see on the carrier's deck. A sailor in anti-flash hood and tin hat hosing down a pom-pom - it was nearly red hot - so received radical treatment not in any drill book.
Then the island defences opened up afresh and the second attack started.
Wave after wave of them as before. All ships guns cracking. The submarine's 4" gun now joined the chorus. She looked so naked and brave. All alone in a dock. The bombers jinked in the bursting hell around them and the bombs came screaming down. Completely mesmerised I watched one bomb released and with my mouth open saw it fall all the way. It hit the wharf abreast of our after magazine and there was a terrible explosion in the water.
We shook violently, a 6,000 tonne cruiser, as if in an earth tremor. The slack seemed to come off our wire shrouds and mast rigging and the mast vibrated. The ship took half a minute of this crazy shaking and again a lull. The Navigator very white reported back to the Captain. He had been caught on the upper deck of the 'Essex' for the second attack and hurled himself face downwards to find himself huddling a dead body.
The 'Essex' fire was under control and our men were returning. I asked the Commander for the 6" turrets crews to return to their guns. To hell with the port regulations for heavy gunfire. We might get sunk in harbour. The turrets crews closed up and for the third wave we gave the enemy the lot. 6" barrage, 4" barrage, pom-pom and machine gun. But only half our 6" guns would train around. The enormous explosion by our after magazine had jammed the after turrets for training. The rollers had jammed. They could not fire. Bombs again screamed down. More near misses on the aircraft carrier and then all quiet. Our heads ached, we were all deaf and shaken. Decks littered with shrapnel and debris. But we had not been hit.
To this, we can add...
The arrival of such an important ship brought a lot of civilian onlookers who crowded the harbour area. At a quarter past noon on the 16th January an announcement was made over loudspeakers to the civilians to make for air raid shelters on hearing the air raid sirens as a new defence strategy was to be used to protect the harbour & flying shrapnel from exploding shellls falling from the sky would make the area very dangerous. Many civilians at this time would stay above ground to watch the bombing.
At 13.55 the radar picked up a large contact - 'It was the largest that had ever been recorded in Malta till then'. The harbour guns lifted to their fixed positions - light AA, heavy AA, 4·5" guns, pom poms, machine guns & even heavy guns on the fort not used as they could not reach high levels were brought to bear against the lower flying dive bombers.
The bombers from Fligerkorps X were escorted by Messerschitt, Fiat & Macchi fighters. The RAF managed to send up 4 Hurricanes, 3 Fulmars & 2 Gladiators. These were instructed to stay out of the harbour area & pick off stragglers. The attack comprised of 2 seperate attacks - the first by Ju 88's (shallow dive bombers) & the second by Ju 87 (Stuka's). This force amounted to 70 bombers all concentrating on sinking Illustrious.
The harbour guns opened up to a deafening noise described as 'hell let loose'. The ships in harbour including Illustrious fired their guns also.
Despite the bravery of the German airmen only one bomb hit Illustrious this being on the quarterdeck & caused little damage.
Despite the RAF pilots being told not to enter the harbour area a Fulmar chased a Stuka right through the barrage. After the bomber released his bombs he swept off down the harbour so low to the water he had to climb to get over the 15' breakwater. The Fulmar eventually shot it down. This returned to Hal Far where the pilot remarked - 'Don't think much of Malta's bloody barrage'. The plane however was so badly damaged it didn't fly again apparently.
On the 19th a last raid was mounted on Illustrious. To meet them were 6 Hurricanes. 1 Fulmar & 1 Gladiator which shot down 11 aircraft. The AA guns shot down a further 8. This was estimated to be about a quarter of the attacking force. During this raid the ship received no direct hits but near misses exploding on the sea bed caused underwater damage.
A further attack was planned in Sicily but on the night of the 23rd Illustrious sailed out of the harbour bound for the safety of Alexandria. She was able to make 20 knots & moved so fast she missed her escort cruiser squadron which were heavily bombed.
http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Malta%20W ... trious.htm
In other words - just sprung plates. And notice the comment about her performance under steam just four days later...
He had the precedent of a successful transit for EXCESS to use against their arguments.