Operation Excess - Sequence of Events - 10 January

10 January

Italian ships from La Spezia searched unsuccessfully for Force H. Italian submarine Settimo and torpedo boats Circe and Vega launched torpedoes unsuccessfully against convoy MC 4. Bonaventure and Hereward sank Vega six miles south of Pantellaria at 0830. Circe escaped undamaged. Bonaventure sustained some damage and two of her complement were killed. She spent 75 per cent of her ammunition in the engagement. Two of Vega's crew survived.

Gallant struck a naval mine at 0835. The bow was destroyed and 65 men were killed. Mowhawk took Gallant in tow toward Malta while the Force B cruisers provided protection from air attacks. Convoys MC 4 and MW 5 arrived at Malta and convoy ME 6 departed for Alexandria.

Fulmars from Illustrious shot down an Italian aircraft shadowing Force A at 0930. Valiant avoided torpedoes launched by two SM.79s approaching under the RADAR horizon at 1230. As the combat air patrol Fulmars dropped altitude to engage the SM.79s, Force A was attacked at 1235 by 18 He111s of KG 26 and 43 Ju87s of StG 1 and StG 2 escorted by 10 Bf110s of ZG 26. Illustrious completed launching relief Fulmar and Swordfish patrollers as the attack developed. Illustrious was the main target and was enveloped in waterspouts and mist of exploding bombs. Some bombers diving from an altitude of 12,000 feet delayed bomb release until their pullout altitude was lower than the height of Illustrious' funnel. The five air patrol Fulmars had not returned from chasing the SM.79s which attacked Valiant; and the four recently launched Fulmars were unable to gain altitude rapidly enough to break up the attack. The Fulmars claimed eight enemy aircraft downed during the continuing air strikes against Force A as they shuttled to Malta airfields to refuel and re-arm. Warspite was lightly damaged by a single bomb. Illustrious was hit by five bombs, including one which failed to explode; and a near miss disabled her rudder mechanism. A bomb striking a lowered elevator caused extensive hangar damage with many casualties among aircraft maintenance personnel and destroyed nine Swordfish and five Fulmars. At 1530 Illustrious headed for Malta steering with engines. The bombing attacks continued. Seven SM.79s were discouraged by heavy anti-aircraft fire, but an attack by six Italian Ju87s at 1600 scored another bomb hit and two near misses. Fourteen German Ju87s missed Valiant and Janus and a later attack by 14 He111s was similarly ineffective. Illustrious reached Malta at 2130 with 126 dead and 91 wounded.