Operation Vigorous - Operation Abandoned

Operation Abandoned

On the evening of 15 June, in view of the strength of enemy air attacks from the extended network of Axis airfields in North Africa, the presence of a large portion of the Italian fleet, lack of fuel caused by diversionary tactics and seriously depleted ammunition stocks, it was finally decided to abandon the operation and return to Alexandria (course reversal 5).

As the convoy withdrew to Alexandria, the light cruiser HMS Hermione was torpedoed and sunk in the early hours of the 16th by U-205 —south of Crete—in "Bomb Alley".

At this time, as the Italian fleet returned to Taranto, an RAF Wellington from Malta torpedoed and damaged the battleship Littorio, but she reached port.

None of the Vigorous ships reached Malta. One cruiser, HMS Hermione; three destroyers, HMS Airedale, Hasty and HMAS Nestor and two merchant ships had been lost in the attempt. Three cruisers, one destroyer and one corvette were damaged. British air attacks sank the Italian cruiser Trento and damaged Littorio. Nevertheless, the Italian Fleet succeeded in blocking the Allied convoy even if there was no direct contact between the surface forces. Royal Navy gunners shot down 21 of the approximately 220 attacking aircraft.

To try to keep the Italian Fleet away from the Vigorous and Harpoon convoys, two forces of submarines had been deployed, one to lay in wait off the Italian base at Taranto, and the other to operate between Sicily and Sardinia, ready for orders to attack any Italian forces. The submarines Proteus, Thorn, Taku, Thrasher, Porpoise, Una, Uproar, Ultimatum and Umbra were detailed to patrol off Taranto, with Safari, Unbroken, Unison and Unruffled between Sicily and Sardinia. For various reasons, the submarines were generally unsuccessful in providing any cover for the convoys, with only the Italian cruiser Trento being sunk, and even that only after it had been crippled by an RAF air attack. The two operations, Vigorous and Harpoon, were important Italian naval victories, but unrepeatable due to the crippling oil shortages suffered by the Italian military machine.

The British Spitfire fighters based at Malta needed fuel to fly, just as Malta itself needed supplies. Operation Vigorous had failed. Only two of Operation Harpoon's six ships had reached Malta and Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, the air commander in Malta, told London he had only seven weeks’ fuel left. In August, therefore, almost all the available strength of the Royal Navy was put into the next major convoy operation of the war, Operation Pedestal.