Fighters to Malta from aircraft-carriers
OPERATION |
FLYING-OFF DATE |
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS |
FERRIED |
BEGAN TAKE-OFF |
LANDED SAFELY |
GUIDES |
HURRY |
02.08.40 |
ARGUS |
12H |
12H |
11H (2) |
2Sk (3) |
WHITE |
17.11.40 |
ARGUS |
12H |
12H |
4H (4) |
2Sk (5) |
WINCH |
03.04.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
12H |
12H |
11H (6) |
3Sk |
DUNLOP |
27.04.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
24H |
24H |
23H (7) |
3F |
SPLICE |
21.05.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
24H |
23H (8) |
23H |
4F (9) |
FURIOUS |
24H |
18H (10) |
17H (11) |
4F (12) |
||
ROCKET |
06.06.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
24H |
24H |
43H |
9B |
FURIOUS |
20H |
19H (13) |
||||
TRACER |
14.06.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
20H |
19H (14) |
43H (15) |
4Hd |
VICTORIOUS |
28H |
28H |
||||
RAILWAY I |
27.06.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
22H |
22H |
20H (16) |
4B |
RAILWAY II |
30.06.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
26H |
26H |
35H (17) |
6B |
FURIOUS |
16H |
10H (18) |
||||
STATUS I |
09.09.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
26H |
14H (19) |
14H |
4B (20) |
STATUS II |
13.09.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
24H |
24H |
45H (21) |
7B |
FURIOUS |
22H |
22H |
||||
PERPETUAL I |
12.11.41 |
ARK ROYAL |
21H |
21H |
34H (22) |
4B |
ARGUS |
16H |
16H |
||||
PERPETUAL II |
(11. 41) |
(ARK ROYAL) |
----------- |
-------(23) |
||
SPOTTER |
(28.02.42) |
EAGLE |
16S |
-------(24) |
||
SPOTTER |
07.03.42 |
EAGLE |
16S |
15S (25) |
15S |
4B |
PICKET |
21.03.42 |
EAGLE |
16S |
9S (26) |
9S |
4B (27) |
PICKET II |
29.03.42 |
EAGLE |
7S |
7S (28) |
7S |
2B |
CALENDAR |
20.04.42 |
WASP |
50S |
47S (29) |
46S (30) |
|
BOWERY |
09.05.42 |
WASP |
50S |
47S (31) |
59S (32) |
|
EAGLE |
17S |
17S |
||||
L B |
18.05.42 |
EAGLE |
17S |
17S |
17S |
|
6A |
6A |
-------(33) |
||||
STYLE |
03.06.42 |
EAGLE |
32S |
32S |
26S (34) |
|
SALIENT |
09.06.42 |
EAGLE |
32S |
32S |
31S (35) |
|
PINPOINT |
15.07.42 |
EAGLE |
32S |
32S |
31S (36) |
|
INSECT |
21.07.42 |
EAGLE |
30S |
29S (37) |
28S (38) |
|
BELLOWS |
11.08.42 |
FURIOUS |
39S |
38S (39) |
37S (40) |
|
BARITONE |
17.08.42 |
FURIOUS |
32S |
31S (41) |
27S (42) |
|
TRAIN |
29.10.42 |
FURIOUS |
32S |
29S (43) |
29S |
Total of aircraft which took-off : |
346 Hurricanes & 382 Spitfires |
Total of aircraft which landed in Malta: |
323 Hurricanes & 362 Spitfires |
Aircraft Code: A = Albacore, H = Hurricane, Hd = Hudson, B = Blenheim, S = Spitfire, Sk = Skua
1) GUIDES: Skuas and Fulmars took-off from the aircraft-carriers with the fighters but the Blenheims and Hudsons came from Gibraltar. All landed safely at Malta unless otherwise stated.
2) HURRY: One Hurricane crashed while landing.
3) HURRY: One Skua crashed while landing.
4) WHITE: 8 Hurricanes ran out of fuel en-route and fell in the sea.
5) WHITE: One Skua crashed in Sicily.
6) WINCH: One Hurricane crashed while landing.
7) DUNLOP: One Hurricane crashed en-route.
- SPLICE: Take-off of one Hurricane cancelled due to defects.
9) SPLICE: One Fulmar returned to Ark Royal and one crashed at sea.
10) SPLICE: Flight of 6 Hurricanes cancelled due to delays in the previous take-offs.
11) SPLICE: One Hurricane crashed en-route.
12) SPLICE: One Fulmar crashed en-route.
13) ROCKET: Flight of one Hurricane cancelled due to defects.
14) TRACER: Flight of one Hurricane cancelled due to defects.
15) TRACER: 2 Hurricanes crashed en-route and 2 crashed while landing.
16) RAILWAY I: One Hurricane crashed en-route and one crashed while landing.
17) RAILWAY II: One Hurricane crashed on take-off; this accident injured 6 other pilots who were watching (see 18).
One Hurricane might have crashed while landing, reducing the number that landed safely to 34.
18) RAILWAY II: Flight of 6 Hurricanes cancelled due to injury to the pilots (see 17).
19) STATUS I: Flight of 12 Hurricanes cancelled because only 2 of the navigation Blenheims turned-up.
20) STATUS I: Only 2 Blenheims came.
21) STATUS II: One Hurricane crashed on take-off from Furious.
22) PERPETUAL I: 3 Hurricanes crashed en-route.
23) PERPETUAL II: Cancelled, due to loss of Ark Royal.
24) SPOTTER (First): Operation aborted on the 27th due to faulty fuel pumps in overload tanks of the Spitfires.
25) SPOTTER: Flight of one Spitfire cancelled due to defects.
26) PICKET: Flight of 7 Spitfires cancelled because only 2 of the navigation Blenheims turned-up.
27) PICKET: Only 2 Blenheims came.
- PICKET II: Spitfires whose flight was cancelled in Operation Picket.
29) CALENDAR: Flight of 3 Spitfires cancelled due to defects.
30) CALENDAR: One Spitfire defected to Algeria en-route.
31) BOWERY: Flight of 3 Spitfires cancelled due to defects.
32) BOWERY: One Spitfire crashed on take-off from Wasp, one landed back on Wasp, 2 crashed en-route and one crashed while landing.
33) L B: All 6 Albacores returned to Eagle due to overheating engine (wrong setting of air-cooler).
34) STYLE: One Spitfire crashed on take-off, 4 were shot down by Me109s near Pantelleria, and one crashed while landing.
35) SALIENT: One Spitfire crashed while landing.
36) PINPOINT: One Spitfire crashed on take-off.
37) INSECT: Flight of one Spitfire cancelled due to damage suffered in a collision with an AA gun mounting.
38) INSECT :One Spitfire crashed on take-off.
39) BELLOWS: Flight of one Spitfire cancelled due to defects.
40) BELLOWS: One Spitfire aborted its flight and landed back on the Indomitable.
41) BARITONE: Flight of one Spitfire cancelled because its pilot was injured when another Spitfire crashed on take-off (see 42).
42) BARITONE; One Spitfire crashed on take-off, 2 aborted their flight due to defects (undercarriage failed to retract) and abandoned the aircraft, and one crashed while landing.
43) TRAIN: Flight of 3 Spitfires cancelled due to defects.
Of the 43 fighters that commenced the take-off run but failed to land safely:-
Crashed during take-off: 7 (2 Hurricanes & 5 Spitfires)
Lost en-route: 24 (16 Hurricanes & 8 Spitfires)
Landed back on an aircraft-carrier: 2 (2 Spitfires)
Defected to Algeria: 1 (1 Spitfire)
Crashed while landing: 9 (5 Hurricanes & 4 Spitfires)
NOTE: A number of Swordfish and Albacore torpedo-bombers were also delivered to Malta from aircraft-carriers. These deliveries were normally carried-out in conjunction with convoy operations, except Operation Callboy which was carried-out on 18th October 1941, specifically to deliver 11 Albacores and 2 Swordfish aircraft.