Operation Pedestal: Looking back on that fateful day in 1942 when the Santa Marija Convoy saved the nation
Santa Marija is a big feast for many reasons: here’s why we’re all enjoying this public holiday.
Santa Marija on the Maltese Islands is celebrated with much pomp and glory, having both a religious feast side and historical ties. It’s the feast of the Assumption but also the day that the Santa Marija Convoy essentially saved the islands from starvation during World War II.
As history goes, Malta was one of the most bombarded countries during World War II, being a crucial naval base for the British. Here, the British ships, submarines and aircraft planned and attacked Axis. In retaliation, Axis conducted the Siege of Malta with as much air and naval force as possible, hence Malta being one of the most bombarded places.
Many attempts were made to send over supplies to Malta, with Operation Julius in June 1942 being a costly failure. This resulted in several supplies being sunk at the bottom of the Mediterranean. Rations were obviously cut as supplies were abysmal, with Cecil Bartoli telling us in an earlier interview that locals had “maybe a week’s ration” left before the islands would have had to surrender if fuel, food and ammunition didn’t make it to the islands before September. If that happened, our country’s history wouldn’t have been the same.
Between the 9th and 15th of August, the Maltese and British went through an utter ordeal to acquire the supplies needed. Operation Pedestal, more commonly known on the islands as Il-Konvoj ta’ Santa Marija (the Santa Maria Convoy) was in motion, but wasn’t without obstacles. The SS Ohio, the tanker that carried supplies was badly damaged. “I remember the sight distinctly,” Cecil remembers. “The Ohio had a big hole in the front, having been torpedoed. And the two destroyers on either side were apparently keeping it afloat. It was such precious cargo that they had to get it in at all costs!”
The tanker was towed into the Grand Harbour to cheering crowds. “There was a lot of celebration because it gave us a new lease of life. The feeling was of great satisfaction. We had been on the brink of starvation, and now people had a little more hope to live,” Cecil recalls. However, celebrations quickly became sombre as after the Ohiodischarged oil into two tankers, it settled at the bottom of the ocean, completing its mission.