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.

  1. 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.

  1.  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.

Comments (0)

There are no comments posted here yet

Leave your comments

  1. Posting comment as a guest.
Attachments (0 / 3)
Share Your Location
Type the text presented in the image below