The Shattered Vessel That Completely Saved the Allies
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- In 1942, Malta's future hung by a thread. This vital British stronghold faced ceaseless Axis bombings, its people teetering on the brink of starvation.
While rumors of surrender floated among the Allies, memories of the Royal Navy's disastrous PQ17 convoy mission that was annihilated in the Arctic still lingered, a bruise on their honor.
Britain, more than ever, needed a victory.
And so, British war planners formulated one of their boldest naval moves yet: Operation Pedestal.
Tasked with this critical rescue mission, fourteen merchant ships, including the vital oil tanker Ohio, embarked, with their path shielded by two battleships, three fleet aircraft carriers, and over 40 other destroyers, corvettes, and submarines.
Their objective was clear yet perilous, and to accomplish it, they would need to navigate a Mediterranean teeming with Axis submarines, warplanes, and warships. It would be one of the most dire escort missions of the war. The survival of the Allies’ most important base in the surrounding theaters of war depended on it…
SS Ohio was NOT a US Naval vessel. She was built for the The Texas Company (later Texaco) she was requisitioned by the UK Ministry of War Transport when at the Clyde (Bowling-on-the-Clyde). Hr US crew was replaced by a British Merchant Marine (T124X). She sustained grave damage from a torpedo, two sticks of bombs lifted her out of the water and another exploded in her boiler room. A Stuka crashed and exploded on her deck, her back was broken and Ohio was twice abandoned and reboarded. She arrived at Valetta lashed between HMS Penn and Brnham - towed by HMS Rye (minesweeper) with HMS Ledbury acting as rudder /sea anchor astern . Towing was taken over by Malta tugs once inside the defensive minefields.
Besides Mason's George Cross there were a Distinguished Service Order, five Distinguished Service Crosses and seven Distinguished Service Medals (awarded to the 24 Royal Navy and Royal Artillery Marine Regiment DEMS gunners on board).
During one of the attacks Captain Mason was telephoned from aft by the chief officer, who told Mason that the Ju 87 had crashed into the sea and then bounced onto the ship. Mason 'rather curtly' replied: "Oh that's nothing. We've had a Junkers 88 on the foredeck for nearly half an hour."
THAT is more like it! I remember reading about what you've mentioned. A LOT of detail was left out of the video. But nice for others to learn the basics. 🙂
This will sound weird, but her cargo probably kept her afloat! Or at least helped. Fuel is lighter than water, so long as she did not catch fire, and her oil tanks were relatively intact, that fuel would go a long way to keeping her buoyant despite the damage. The strengthening she had received specifically for Pedestal also helped.
I am not denigrating the crew of SS Ohio by the way, or of the ships that stayed with her, especially HMS Penn and HMS Rye. They deserved every award they were given, it is just I find it ironic that the ship carrying the most combustible cargo of Pedestal may well, at least in part, have been kept afloat long enough to reach Malta *because* of that cargo!!!
EDIT: Oh and this observation is backed up by what happened when she was brought into harbour and moored up. The fuel was pumped from her as quickly as possible, both by shore pumping stations and the RFA ship RFA Boxol, as her fuel tanks were pumped. SS Ohio settled deeper and deeper, until her keel touched harbour bottom as her tanks were emptied.....
Its why I firmly believe it was her cargo literally keeping her afloat. The sheer courage of her crew, and the crews of her escort got her to Malta, but that fuel cargo kept her afloat.
I read a book about operation pedestal years ago. It was called Malta Convoy.
I'm Happy you covered our story of Malta. Our history in ww2 is very often overlooked !
Malta was a huge asset in hostile seas, Eisenhower had a headquarters there. Cheers to Malta and her people from America.
Many of us in UK recognise the heroic Island of Malta.
A George Cross has never been awarded to an Island before or since.
I enjoyed my holiday there which included a trip to the Mosta Dome.
As well as all the fascinating Prehistoric and Medieval history.
@@flickingbollocks5542 I am part Maltese and hah my first trip abroad their back in 1996 wonderful place amazing people (:
Here in Australia most people know of the Island of Malta and what it went through in WW2. Aussies were stationed there I do believe.
@@darrensmith6999 They are definitely friendly people.
I'd love to go again.
My girlfriend and I were once in a posh seafood restaurant which was pretty packed when this Maltese couple came in with their son.
Another British couple would not let them sit at their table.
We were so ashamed by what they did that we insisted they sat at ours, and offered them some of that Maltese wine.
We had a great time, great conversation and it turns out this couple had a restaurant at the other end of the Island and was friends with the owner of the one we were in.
We were lavished with all the best dishes for free and lots more wine.
And we invited back to the place they were staying for more vino and then down to their restaurant a couple of days later.
All that because of a snotty couple of Brits were rude to them.
I worked with a guy who was a young boy at this time he remembered how he and his friends climbed high on buildings to cheer and his grandmother said her prayers had been answered from that day onwards.
He went on to join RN and serve in Submarines.
HMS Penn was towing Ohio, alongside Ohio's starboard side. My uncle was a gunnery officer on Penn, operating in the transmitting station that used a mechanical computer to derive a firing solution from range, bearing, speeds of the ship and target, wind, etc. Penn's crew received a pay bonus for their efforts, as did the other crews involved in saving Ohio. The CO, James Swain, got a DSO.
Very brave men ,thank you and God bless you
HMS Penn was the destroyer which can be seen beside the Ohio, there were two other destroyers involved in getting the Ohio to within sight of Malta, the HMS Bramham and the HMS Ledbury.
^.^
The "pay bonus" was probably salvage money.
@@grumpyoldveteran7286 I discovered the salvage money came later.
Did the DSO get paid as well? 😂
SS Ohio was a damn miracle by any measure, with a cargo that effectively turned the ship into a floating bomb looking for an excuse to detonate. Despite repeated bombs and a torpedoe hit the ship though ablaze never exploded... ...she finally came into Valletta's Grand Harbour; some would say 'riding on the backs of angels! ❤
And at one point the ship has a JU 87 crashed on it's bow and a JU 88 crashed on the stern.
But they would have all been sunk if the Italian cruiser squadron had not turned back at the last minute as they would have intercepted the ships just before they reached Malta.
Poor Italian communications saved them as much as anything.
@@frosty3693 ... So, good things happened !!!!
A boat with 13 Thousand tons of Av Gas set on fire and torpedoed twice and it didn't blow .... Divine Providence
A great to tribute to so many brave people.
It was indeed a miracle, one of the most decisive convoys of the war.
Thank you the people of Malta.
To reference Operation Pedestal as only a convoy, is to not give it due credit. It was the Royal Navies, largest fleet engagement in any theatre of operation in WWII. The number of heavy units - carriers, battleships, cruisers alone is unique. Great video and channel.
The story of the SS Ohio featured prominently in the 1953 British movie "Malta Story", starring Alec Guinness as a Spitfire pilot.
And When Sir Alec landed his Spit, he would have uttered to the locals, “Hello, there!”
@@shengyi1701 Spoiler Alert!!
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.
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Alec Guinness' last words in Malta Story were "This doesn't look good..."
Yes, a good film, really for Malta Gc,
I was going to say, this would make a great movie, I'll have to check out The Malta Story!
ah. i remember that movie.
The Flag of Malta proudly (and Deservedly) shows the George Cross (Britain's Highest medal for Civilians).
This story has fascinated me. Thank you for sharing it. I am a WW2 nut and wasn't even born while all this was going on. I have been fascinated by WW2 pacific battles even for a girl. I love history! Thank you for telling the story. You're a great narrator!
Can I get your number I’m 19 and hung 😂 nah I got great muscles and the 1st is also true
@@koungpou3795down horrendous
In my early teens, my father brought home lots of war diaries written into a pocketbook form. This was my history education of WW2. One such book was about the convoy and the SS Ohio. Later, I saw several wartime history programs on the tv and I was just left emotionally drained by the events. Thanks dad.
I shed a tear watching this video, heroes everyone of them
Me too.
Yup.
No wonder my grandfather was a hard bastard, he was the Regimental Sargent Major on Malta during the war. RIP Denis Kilgariff, granddad.
I recently read about this operation and I'm full of admiration for these brave crews.
Try 'Operation Pedestal' by Max Hastings.
@solentbum That's the book that I read. An absolutely incredible feat.
Hastings book is awful. I did my Masters on Pedestal. The Smith book is excellent but steer well clear of Hastings work. It’s just wrong in an embarrassing number of places.
@@geordiedog1749 which book would you recommend?
Ohio was not USS Ohio, but SS Ohio, a merchant ship, armed when loaned to the UK.
You are correct sir, caught the slip.
The “Dark” series videos covering all sorts of subjects, play fast and lose, sometimes VERY fast and loose with their so called “facts” all the time. They tell nice stories, but they make Wikipedia look like the most dependable, well researched and compleat treasure trove of verified facts concerning every subject in the world!
There's a real great story about that ship they could have shared , big star on the bow shows owned by Texaco.
Then it was HMS.
I have read many Accounts of this Convey .It should be made in to a film .
It's also a tribute to the US ship builders who made OHIO.
The British having learned some lessons remounted her engines on on springs as her sister ship( l believe!)had been disabled by bomb near misses un mounting her engines.
My Grandfather served in the Merchant Navy in the 2nd World War and sailed in Conveys to Russia when things really were tough.
He didn't talk about them much.
The Mediterranean Conveys he sailed on were in his words when things had got a bit less fraught.
He said the Conveys to India were a milk run but he was of that Generation who played things down.
He lost many Friends but loved the sea and wouldn't have shyed away.
Before the war had started he had left the Merchant Navy and was in a protected industry down the mines.
But used the war to get back to Sea.
The efforts and sacrifice
Of The Respective Merchant Marines .
Should never be forgotten.
I was in Malta in the Late sixties, the people were, very happy/glad to see an American warship.
I took a tour of the islands fortifications, all I can say is Malta is an awesome place, go there if you have a chance.
"Fair Winds and Following Seas" Brothers 🇺🇸⚓🇬🇧 SS Ohio
you should have gone to see the ruins of the giants, during the last ice age this was part of Europe and Africa, and the Mediterranean was a lake.
@@user-pg4iw1cm8c I should have but being 20 years old, I had other things in mind, now at 75, there are a few things I would have done differently.
@@AdamosDad I was 18 when I first visited them. If I knew then what I know now, I would have pulled a Ted Kasinkski
@@user-pg4iw1cm8c 🤜🏼👍🏻
What was the name of the old american war ship you seen?..
a great captain that could have but did not prematurely "abandon ship" ............Utterly amazing story
Unlike the SS Almeria Lykes. Or was it Santa Elisa? I’ll have to look that up now.
Never . Never. Ever , will there be another generation like those men and women...... Never.
Agreed they had the biggest "balls"
True the worthless woke are less than ants compared with these people
Amazing. On the Level of a Miracle. People must remember that Great Britian & the USA were the two Anglo Bastions that helped the Russians. Together, we defeated Germany. Thank you.
Grandad sailed T-2s in the North Atlantic from ‘42-46 carrying gasoline. These ships were the lifeline to war effort. And floating bombs.
Hollywood could not have dreamt up such an epic story. While you did justice, ten minutes does the barest of justice to this saga.
To unbelivable is why. Audie Murphy playing him self in his post war film did not let them film his greatest feats I believe correctly as they are too unbelievable.
Also worthy of note on a similar theme.....The tanker San Demetrio.
I hope a few parts of OHIO were salvaged for display. I cannot imagine the bell not being saved and kept in a place of public honor, on Malta.
Wikipedia says: "The nameplate, ships wheel, ensign and several other objects of Ohio are preserved in Malta's National War Museum in Valletta."
@@DaveGIS123
That is a good thing; I am glad the memory is preserved. Soon, there will no longer be anyone with living memory of the time or event; all the veterans I knew growing up are gone.
Despite many negative comments criticising this video I thank Dark Seas for bringing this incredible story to my attention and creating such interest in Ohio’s story that I’m researching this story more thoroughly.
Read an old memoir "Destroyer Captain" by Roger Hill a few years ago. He had HMS Ledbury through the Artic convoys in 1942 and this Malta convoy. The book covers all these actions, but most notable for covering the mental strain of the decision making, and his decent into near madness.
Good old Phyllis.
My dad was on Malta from 1939 - 1943, he earned a George Cross which I still have.
Sailed through the Mediterranean twice; 1995 on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 and 2002 on USS Wasp LHD 1.
I.S.S. Biddle CG 34, Med Cruise 1981, Gulf of Sidra (Libya) incident, also Black Sea Cruise
@@jamesalinio5277 I.S.S.??
@@RetiredSailor60 U.S.S., I forgot to proof read
I first read about this in the book "At All Odds" a few years back. This was a great telling of the tale as always!
I’ve heard of “Against All Odds” in relation to Op Pedestal story, and “At All Costs” but not a blending of those two.
Respect to all who served on this convoy, & of course, The People Of Malta! We Thank You, ALL.
*UNBELIEVABLE journey to Malta Island !!!!*
Would've thought longest defence Would've gone to lenningrad
The front image is actually a USN ship, USS AARON WARD (DD-773 / DM-34) show after been hit by several kamikaze in the pacific
My Dad was aboard the USS Lowery ( DD-770) off Okinawa on picket duty . They took a pasting also.
Excellent documentary of the most crucial moment of WWII. Heroism of the RAF, ROYAL NAVY, ROYAL MALTA ARTILLERY, MALTESE PEOPLE, AND WESTERN ALLIES. May God Bless them All! It was a real turning point of WWII.
This should be made into a movie!!! Just amazingly heart stopping! 👍🏽🇦🇺
I actually tried to make a film treatment about Pedestal but I genuinely don’t know what to leave out.
I me@n, you could do a great film just on Brisbane Star.
There's been a couple of decent documentaries but if a US financed movie was made it would make it out to be an American triumph.
@@DaveMorris-ky8nk So, interestingly, when I put the idea for a film on Pedestal together I ran it past an old school friend who works closely for Ridley Scott. (If you’ve got a connection use it I say:) My friend said it was an excellent idea and that there is a lot of interest in this era at the time (2018) BUT there would have to be a US angle or funding would be very, very tricky. Essentially, I’d have to have a Nolan or Scott or bigger to direct it for it to have a non US protangony. And as just some bloke with no experience in this field I don’t think that I’d be able to swing that somehow! There’s ways of working it I suppose. The Ohio was a US build ship but with a British crew. There was some notable contributions from some US personnel (there’s a book about them. I have it at home. It’s quite good once you ignore the shite on the front cover). You have to miss out the bits where the US crewed ships had a revolt because they were only getting one egg with their breakfast ( compared with the starvation diet of the Maltese they were trying to help) and the bit where the RN liaison officer on one of the US crewed merchantmen had to threaten them to stay on mission plus the general bitching about the mission. (So, admittedly, this was just after PQ17 so the faith in the admiralty to run convoys was pretty rubbish).
Short answer is write it with Tom cruise as Dudley Mason from New York and not Surbiton. Forget the Italian involvement completely. Have an American aircraft carrier arrive at the end to save everyone!
My father was a radio operator on HMS Ledbury which joined HMS Penn to tow the stricken Ohio into Valletta. The captain of the Ledbury was Roger Hill who was part of the ill fated convoy PQ17. Hill was determined to see the Ohio safely into port. My father recalls that each RN rating was subsequently awarded 10 shillings as salvage money for bringing the Ohio safely into port.
Brilliant book written about it all with the author getting the accounts from the crews. I have owned it twice,if I find a third Im never lending it out again.🤬
What a story of bravery that had to get through .
When I saw the title, I was holding my breath for the whole video waiting for her to blow up. I’m glad she didn’t
I looked up her specs.
She was unusual in many respects from her engine mountings to her keel design.
Those two things alone made her stronger than most tankers of the day and undoubtedly added to her survival.
I think the main reason she stayed up with a broken back was the buoyancy of the cargo and the support of Ledbury, Brahman and Penn. And Dudley Masons frankly enormous ball also aided the buoyancy!
She was armoured decked and strengthened and fitted with Bofors and polstens and then added RN aswell, at Glasgow ship yard before she left for malta.
SS Ohio, as many others have stated, was NOT a Warship, she was a fuel tanker owned by The Texas Company (later Texaco) that was requisitioned by the British. She never sailed under the flag of the US Navy, so never bore the USN name, and even if she HAD sailed under the USN flag she would not have been USS Ohio because a ship of that name already existed, and like the Royal Navy the USN used a different name for fleet auxiliary ships, which SS Ohio would have been. In the Royal Navy for example fleet auxiliaries were RFA Shipname (Royal Fleet Auxiliary).
I would like to put forward a theory of mine though, for those who are more familiar with this story. Now the deep courage and and tenacity of not just the SS Ohio, but also her small group pf Escorts, especially HMS Penn and HMS Rye got that ship to Grand Harbour, I am convinced that her cargo itself is a large reason why she stayed afloat long enough to get there.
Sounds odd? Let me explain, SS Ohio was carrying diesel and kerosene based fuels, around 10,000 tons worth. They are lighter than water. So long as her fuel tanks are not too badly damaged, and she is not set ablaze, she has 10,000 tons of lighter than water cargo in her main tanks.
Now its still going to take th skill, courage and tenacity of those crews to get that ship to Grand Harbour, but I am utterly convinced she did not sink because those fuel tanks were not too badly compromised. That damned ship kept on floating when she should have sunk. The evidence for my theory? Well as they pumped that precious fuel out of her tanks SS Ohio settled deeper and deeper, until just as they pumped out the last few tons of fuel, her keep touched the bottom of Grand Harbour.
The cargo was literally keeping her afloat.....
This is just a small reminder on weights. Ten thousand tons of fuel in weight is equal to ten thousand tons of water, or for that matter, ten thousand tons of iron ore. It does not matter what the cargo is, nor the fact that it may or may not be lighter than water. It is still the same weight when contained in a receptacle, such as a ship. If a hole is blown through the ships side and is so big that enough water is let in to displace any air or cargo, and watertight bulkheads and compartments cannot be shored up and strengthened, then that ship will sink, even if it is carrying wood. It has nothing to do with the fuel she is carrying, being lighter than water.
Looks like the hollyweird agenda trying to steal this glory to..
it ALL helps. sometimes one needed only a limited amount of supplies to last until much more arrives. bravo all who fought and sacrificed.
Perhaps some background on Malta. With the exception of Monaco and Gibraltar, Malta is the most densely populated country in Europe. It's a small set of islands, and it is dependent on food imports. So, for it to be cut off from these, with hostile territory to the north and the south, that was a pretty big deal.
Malta is perhaps best known for the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, or the Knights of Malta in short. The Knights were the second sons of powerful and rich noble families in Europe. The firstborn sons would inherit the fief (county, duchy, etc), so the second sons would take on some sort of religious function. It will come as little surprise that these were very rich men indeed, and it shows in the capital city they built after the Great Siege of 1565, when the Ottoman Empire tried to capture the islands, and failed.
After this, the Knights built the capital Valletta, which to this day boasts impressive defensive works. Some of these you can see in the video. The small boat seen at 8:27 is very typical, and you still see them today (especially in the more touristy areas). Valletta is very small, with fewer than 6000 inhabitants, but it has some remarkable architecture, and a very convenient deep water natural harbour.
The Knights also built their "auberges", palaces/headquarters for each of the eight "langues", or coutries/areas where the Knights came from. Unfortunately, Valletta's formidable defence works offer no protection against areal bombardment, and two of the remaining seven auberges were destroyed during the war (one of them was demolished to make way for an Anglican church in the 1800s, now a defining part of Valletta's skyline), along with the Opera House and about half of Valletta.
Malta was, measured in bombs per square kilometre, the most bombed country in WW2. My late father-in-law fell several stories when a balcony collapsed after yet another bombardment. He somehow survived, but never spoke about the war. I've done a rough calculation and Malta received about the same amount of bombs dropped on it as did Laos, but in one third of the time.
The George Cross is part of the Maltese flag these days. Once every so often, some moron will claim 15 minutes of television time and claim that "no republic has an emblem of its former occupier on its flag" - this so-called historian was apparently unfamiliar with Albania - but in general, the Maltese know that their history dates back millennia, and this is a part of it.
The question is how important retaining Malta proved to be. Not everybody agrees on this. Had it not been for the relentless raids from Malta on shipping from Italy to North Africa, perhaps Rommel would have fared better. Perhaps the invasion of Sicily - which, on a clear day, you can actually see from Malta - would have been far more difficult. There are a lot of what-if scenarios that could be played out. On the other hand, the Santa Marija Convoy, as it is known here because it coincided with an important Catholic holiday, was probably not a turning point in the war.
But that's easy to say when you're not bombed into oblivion.
What a courageous effort! Some very brave men.👍👍
The SS Ohio was not a US Navy vessel and it was merchant ship plus America was not in in the war yet when this happened but as myself ohioan nice that no a ship named after my state did do something in the World War II
There were two American merchant vessels in this convoy. And America may not have been fully engaged yet with the war in Europe, but there were engagements already begun in the Pacific esp with the Marines on Guadalcanal.
The world has England and the Russians to thank for not having to goose step and of course they couldn't have done it without supplies from the Americans.
England huh?
@psjhfc28112010 Well, yeah. If you study WWII after France and most of rest of Europe fell it was the British that mostly held the line until Pearl Harbor brought the US into active participation. Also remember until 1940 Russia, and "Uncle Joe" Stalin (when he wasn't busy disposing many of his own countrymen), had been backdoor accomplices of Hitler until he backstabed them with his ill-concieved invasion of Russia.
@@Glenmoto12Yes the country fighting the Germans alone for 2 years before the Japanese forced the Americans to enter the war
Just supplies? My grandfather had a bayonet and a bullet wound to show for his troubles in the war.
@@drewhio9262 personally I never put much stock in the Russian plan to drown the Germans in Soviet blood myself. Although I must admit they did try. Every other person that died in WW2 was a Russian. So no, they did not in fact win the war. We actually had to pull out of the Soviet occupation zone at the end of the war. Because they didn't even make up that much ground. We even made an effort to not advance that far too.
The British crew of SS Ohio we have much to thank for. Reboarding and with the RN piloting the SS Ohio to Valetta.
I ran into an older couple in Hastings in 1998. We sat by the gas fire at the FILO pub and swapped stories, mostly theirs because they were so interesting. Then the old gent mentioned he had met his wife in 1942 on a freighter crossing the Med, she a nurse and he a crewman. They corresponded by mail until the war ended, met, married, had kids and then retired to Hastings years before.
I wonder if they were on one of the Pedestal freighters that survived the crossing? Probably a later one, but still, that is a first date to end all first dates!
Imagine going thru all that and having to retire in Hastings 😢
Can you imagine trying to crew a whole navy with todays youth?
There is a reason why the people of that time are called The Greatest Generation!
They wouldn't last ten minutes in that convoy. As far as I know, none of those ships contained any "safe spaces' to use when offended by the enemy. What a bunch of wimps!
Brilliant video about a subject thats not very well covered in general history.
Few small points though.
The Ohio was a merchant ship, owned by Texaco, so was an S.S designation as she wasnt a warship.
The S.S Melbourne Star, S.S Rochester Castle and S.S Port Chalmers arrived in Malta on the 13th August 1942
The S.S Brisbane Star arrived on the 14th August 1942
The S.S Ohio arrived on 15th August 1942
The escort provided was:
2 Battleships, HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney
4 Carriers, HMS Eagle (lost), HMS Furious, HMS Indomitable (damged) and HMS Victorious
12 Cruisers which included HMS Manchester (scuttled), HMS Cairo (lost), HMS Nigeria (lost)
40 Destroyers
The George Cross was awarded to Malta GC in April of 1942.
As for how people on Malta saw the arrival of Pedestal, I can only quote my late grandmother who was there who said
"I stood there with my father and we saw the battered oil tanker coming into the Grand Harbour. There was masses of people cheering, crying, thanking God and the Virgin Mary for the deliverance of these ships for our survival"
"Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar during the night of 10 August the merchantmen were joined by the heaviest and most powerful escort of any wartime convoy. Led by the battleships Nelson and Rodney it comprised the aircraft carriers Eagle and Furious, carrying 38 Spitfire aircraft for Malta's defence, Indomnitable and Victorious, SEVEN CRUISERS AND 25 DESTROYERS.
Back-up ships included the fleet tankers Brown Ranger and Derwentdale, 4 corvettes and the towing vessel Salvonia. Eight British submarines were on standby in Mediterranean waters."
The Fourth Service, Merchantmen at War 1939 - 45
By John Slader.
I see Wikipedia has different figures to yours AND Sladers... very confusing.
The most heavily defended and attacked convoy in the history of naval warfare!
The voyage of the Ohio makes a good story by itself.
I'm glad Dan Cummins has a side gig narrating history videos 😂
What a fine, inspiring story. Thank you for sharing it.
Wow, one of the naval stories i was unaware of. Well done
All involved were amazing. It always gives me pride and a tear watching documentaries on our great countrymen/allies giving so much to overcome unimaginable odds. That they did it is amazing enough but keeping the stiff upper lip and typical British understatement fills me with pride in humanity.😢😢
Well done gentleman.
The battered and broken SS Ohio limps into Malta's Harbour
"Bugler Sound the Alert"
"But she's not a Ship-of-war Sir!"
"isn't She? , SOUND THE ALERT!"
Ohio Broke in two AFTER her cargo had been pumped out
Some ships have Souls
I have some experience of the Ohio from my Grandfather.
His comment? Needed paint.
That's SS Brisbane Star at 08:30 showing bow damage after being hit by an a torpedo dropped by an HE 111
There were countless stories of bravery from service men & merchant mariner’s that took part in this epic story. There is a UK channel 4 documentary about this it’s very moving but well worth watching.
Great story I have never heard before, thank you!
It was the SS Ohio not the USS Ohio. SS is civilian. USS is a commissioned war ship of the United States.
I read the book about this operation. I had forgotten the name but one of the comments talked about a book "At all Odds" that might have been the book. I'm gonna check it out at the library and read it again. I can't get enuf wwll history, especially these little side stories of operations that you just don't get to hear very often.
So you put the USS Ohio BB 12 in the Clickbait. But you’re actually talking about SS Ohio. Two different ships in two different wars
Just a thought but Adrian 'Warby' Warburton's escapades would make one hell of a video, (it ties in nicely with the Malta theme too).
Yeah, and they could have it narrated by Patrick Warburton!
Warburton was mental - a total ledge.
God bless you all from Adelaide Australia with love and gratitude 🕊️❤️🦘🇦🇺😊🙏
To this very day, the Maltese people celebrate with the re-creation of the the arrival of a ship (to represent the SS Ohio) into the Grand Harbour with religious thanksgiving on the anniversary of their salvation.
U.K. Whatever American shipyard built the Ohio deserved a medal. Once upon a time the UK used to build lots of ships - almost sounds like a fairy story now, just one yard left hanging by a thread. The Ohio was as good as any we built, unlike those saviours the Liberty Ships.
Nice shots of them Tribals, abs awesome little destroyers with a do or die design with guns up for'ard and torps up back and they seemed to have the luck of the devils dodging broadsides and fast too.
Brutal, setting out with a 50+ boat convoy and arriving with but a scant hand few. And still, thats all it took for a "successful" operation.
Well I shall give you one bonus points. You sure know how to dramatize a statement. Indeed WWII was the worst war in history, in terms of scope, deaths, injured, resource consumption and waste, and human frailty, yet bravery, initiative and ingenuity was also running 100% full steam ahead
EXCELLENT
" ... highest award for a noncombatant."
That status can get somewhat blurry.
against all odds!
If a Merchant ship was sunk the crew not officers their pay stopped that day
you know its going to be a miracle if a ship is named Ohio
*post a video
*wait a while
*change the title and thumbnail
Can anyone explain?
The war's longest defensive action....?
Leningrad enters the chat....
Our carrier could not port in Malta, so I am assuming the harbor is not big. My hates off to those sailors, tying ships together to keep them afloat.
Peter Jackson needs to do this as a Film rather than reshooting The Dam Busters.
Brisbane Star was an 11,000 ton ship, hardly capable of transporting 32,000 tons of cargo.
Read Max Hastings’ book, “Pedestal” for the full story.
Congratulations, one of your best ever and they are all excellent.
Also had 2 planes crash into her
For a detailed and accurate telling of the story I recommend 'Operation Pedestal' by Sir Max Hastings. HarperCollins 2021.
stunning. What story.
Considering how much was lost just to get three ships into Malta, I would say this operation was an abject failure.
American technology at its best.
Thats what walter @MITCHY said aswell..
Just wondering what ship is used in the thumbnail for this video? Looks like a pre-dreadnought. Only Germany had any pre-dreadnoughts in WW2. Japan has the only pre-dreadnought battleship in existence today. Thanks for another informative upload.
It' USS Ohio, they have made a mistake because the one in the video is ss Ohio wich was a merchant ship.
It's USS Aaron Ward, a U.S. Sumner class destroyer damaged by kamikazes in the Pacific and most likely selected as a ship showing heavy topside damage, which Ward had. However, she is not Ohio.
@@edwardloomis887 yeah he changed it a day or so after the video came out, before the dd there was the pre dreadnought ohio on the thumbnail
I looked up USS Aaron Ward, That thumbnail doesn't look like a destroyer. I think it is a pre-drednought. The uploader should end this argument He knows. Thank you for your opinion. @@edwardloomis887
Thank You so much. I didn't know it got changed. I didn't know there was a Battleship USS Ohio BB12. I wiki'd it. Have a nice day. @@antoniodemunari3335
This story is told a lot better and more accurately in an epsidoe of Narrow escapes of World War 2
Is that the actual ship pulling into the Armor division Harbour in Malta,
This is very well done. Thanks for the most interesting story.
Just read the book on Malta amazing story
I am always surprised that the Axis powers never took out Malta via invasion.
SS Ohio, USS is reserved for US Navy ships but the bravery of that crew was the equal to the bravery of any navy's sailors.
No mention of ABC? There should have been atleast a mention of the man who was the master-mind of all the maritime defence in the region..
They were 'heroes', not some over-rated, overpaid footballers.
True heroes.✌
Did the decoy have much success, luring some away?
Was the convoy, able to sink any of the German pursuers?
The Italians lost two cruisers to torpedoes from HMS Unbroken, Bolzano was set ablaze and Muzio Attendolo had 60 ft of her bow blown off.
Both limped into port and were subsequently sunk. Two submarines were also sunk.
Something North of 50 Axis planes - it was primarily an air/submarine campaign - were shot down.
My Father did Pedestal [mentioned in despatches] and other runs into Malta, also the Arctic runs into Archangel, on HMS Fury.
@@andyleighton6969 Thank You, this is such an amazing story. The merchant marine, are such unsung heroes. No defence, running a slow moving target.
My father in-law was merchant marine, with the Royal Navy. My step-dad, the Canadian Navy. They didn't talk about the war.
in Malta Ohio watching this
Strong people of Malta. Held on by a thread. One of the great allied heroes there was George Beurling from Quebec. The Falcon of Malta.
Luckily petrol is lighter than water.