How the Two Halves of the Oil Tanker Ohio Survived a Mediterranean Blood Bath and Sealed the Fate of the Desert Fox

May 10, 2020 Topic: History Tags: World War IIOhioMediterraneanNavy

How the Two Halves of the Oil Tanker Ohio Survived a Mediterranean Blood Bath and Sealed the Fate of the Desert Fox

Axis forces had seemingly dealt the British a crippling blow. For the loss of sixty-two combat aircraft (forty-two Italian, nineteen German), two submarines and two badly damaged cruisers, they had destroyed a carrier, two light cruisers, a destroyer—and nine of the thirteen merchant ships carrying 50,000 tons of supplies between them. Around 550 Allied sailors and pilots lost their lives.

On August 14, Axis airpower gave up on the air-covered merchant ships and instead tried unsuccessfully to sink the withdrawing warships of Force X and Z racing for Gibraltar. Meanwhile, Brisbane Star, Rochester Castle, Melbourne Star, and Port Chalmers made it to Malta and began unloading 35,000 tons of supplies.

Finally at 9:30 AM on August 15, Ohio staggered into Malta’s Grand Harbor, greeted by jubilant crowds and a brass band. On the verge of breaking in two and her bow nearly submerged, the tanker was sandwiched between the destroyers Ledbury and Penn (pictured here and here) with the Rye holding her stable from the rear.

Crews raced to pump out the vital fuel oil. As if drained of lifeblood, Ohio’s two halves sank to the harbor bottom just as her holds were emptied. Survivors of the convoy spent the night seeking solace in the strong local Ambete wine, popularly known as “Stuka juice.” 

Battle Lost, War Won

Axis forces had seemingly dealt the British a crippling blow. For the loss of sixty-two combat aircraft (forty-two Italian, nineteen German), two submarines and two badly damaged cruisers, they had destroyed a carrier, two light cruisers, a destroyer—and nine of the thirteen merchant ships carrying 50,000 tons of supplies between them. Around 550 Allied sailors and pilots lost their lives.

But through luck and stubborn perseverance, the one ship that mattered most made it to Malta’s Grand Harbor. With fuel for two months of operations, British bombers and submarines could go on the offensive protected by 163 high-performance Spitfires fighters. They sank two-thirds of the requested fuel supplies bound for the Afrika Korps in the next two months.

On August 30, Rommel’s tanks were left with fuel only for 150 miles of travel as they attacked in the Battle of Alam el Halfa. Rebuffed by stout defenses and air power, Rommel had to call off the attack by September 1, having run dry on fuel.

His troop numbers fell as shortages of water and food led to outbreaks of dysentery. When British forces went on the offensive in the Battle of El Alamein in October, Rommel’s Panzer divisions only had fuel for three days of operations, forcing him to fight a static battle of attrition in which his forces were ground down to defeat.

The broken Ohio sat out the remainder of the war in Grand Harbor serving as a storage facility and barracks. Her separate halves were finally towed out of the harbor and sunk in 1946. 

Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Wikipedia.