Operation Hats - 30th Aug, Mediterranean
Hats was a very complex operation carried out by the Mediterranean fleet and Force H.
It had a number of objectives:
To reinforce the eastern fleet with two antiaircraft cruisers, Coventry and Calcutta, the modernised battleship Valiant and the fleet carrier Indefatigable.
To run a supply convoy to Malta
To attack a number of Italian targets in passing, including Rhodes and Cagliari.
Force H left Gibraltar under Admiral Somerville on the 30th August, including the carriers Ark Royal and Indefatigable, and the capital ships Valiant and Hood and with 17 destroyers. On the 31st the squadron encountered two Italian floatplanes, both of which were shot down by the forces CAP. Later that day two destroyers were detached to head north in an attempt to deceive the Italians that Force H was heading for Genoa. The fleet then turned southeast, heading for Cagliari.
At 0325 on the 1st September 18 SeaLance planes armed with bombs and escorted by 6 Goshawks attacked the airfield at Cagliari with high explosive bombs and incendiaries. Significant damage was done to the installations, many of which were set on fire, and a number of planes destroyed on the ground. All the planes returned to the carrier without loss. It was expected that the RA would respond to this attack, but in fact the rest of that day passed without incident. At 2200 the reinforcements for the eastern fleet headed southeast while the remainder of Force H headed north.
Force H again attacked Cagliari on the night of the 1st, but haze and low cloud obscured the target and little damage was done. At 0800 on the 2nd Somerville headed west towards Gibraltar, expecting again to be attacked, but again there was no sign of the RA, which rather disappointed Somerville who had been looking forward to giving them a warm reception.
While this was going on Admiral Cunningham had left Alexandria on the 30th August with Warspite, Malaya, Implacable, two cruisers and 9 destroyers. At 1430 the fleet was sighted by an Italian aircraft, which was shot down a short while later by one of the Goshawks on CAP. Late in the afternoon another shadower was detected, but it managed to evade interception in cloud.
At noon on the 31st the fleet rendezvoused with the 3rd Cruiser squadron (Kent, Gloucester and Liverpool) south west of Cape Matapan, and a convoy of two stores ships and a tanker which would be escorted to Malta. On the afternoon of the 30th the merchant ships had been attacked by the RA, but the attackers had been driven off by a flight of Goshawks kept close to them for exactly this purpose, although they failed to shoot down any of the attackers.
At 1600 the fleet altered course to the south to try and make the Italians believe they were immediately returning to Alexandria. However at 1613 one of HMS Implacable's search planes reported an Italian surface force of two battleships, seven cruisers and some destroyers 180miles west of the force. Cunningham's dilemma was that if he moved to engage at night, it would be easy for the enemy to evade and attack the Malta-bound convoy. A night attack on the battleships was considered, but decided against as the intentions of the enemy were unclear, and by the time a strike could be mounted they could have moved uncomfortably close to the convoy; the last thing Cunningham wanted to do was to torpedo his own merchant ships at night!
The fleet therefore closed the merchant ships to stay with them overnight, hoping to arrange a morning strike on the battleships. Dissapointingly though, a RAF flying boat out of Malta spotted the force at the entrance of the Gulf of Taranto and heading home, too far away now for an air strike. The fleet continued west, and at 0900 on the 2nd met the Indefatigable and Valiant. While the fleet cruised some 35 miles south of Malta, the Valiant and the two cruisers entered harbor to offload personnel and equipment. The RA made two light raids while the ships were unloading, but both times were driven off by Goshawks from the carriers.
On the voyage back to Alexandria Cunningham intended to use his two fleet carriers to strike the airfields of Maritza and Callato on Rhodes. 12 SeaLance carrying bombs, and 12 Cormorants hit each of the targets at 0600, 40 minutes before dawn. Considerable destruction was done to the airfields and their infrastructure. At the same time HMAS Sydney bombarded Scarpanto airfield, her escorting destroyers sinking two torpedo boats . The fleet sailed into Alexandria without further incident on the 3rd.
Churchill was pleased with the success of the mission and the damage done to the Italians, and wanted Cunningham to continue to strike at the Italians during the Autumn. Cunningham pointed out that in order to do this successfully, reconnaissance by land based RAF aircraft was needed, of which at present there was a lack; he requested that when they could be released from the UK, a squadron or part squadron of the long range Whirlwinds would be most useful if based at Malta, as well as shorter ranged planes to fly from North Africa. he also pointed out that the already-proposed Operation Judgment depended on reconnaissance. He was promised 'at least 3' aircraft by the end of September.
Hats was a very complex operation carried out by the Mediterranean fleet and Force H.
It had a number of objectives:
To reinforce the eastern fleet with two antiaircraft cruisers, Coventry and Calcutta, the modernised battleship Valiant and the fleet carrier Indefatigable.
To run a supply convoy to Malta
To attack a number of Italian targets in passing, including Rhodes and Cagliari.
Force H left Gibraltar under Admiral Somerville on the 30th August, including the carriers Ark Royal and Indefatigable, and the capital ships Valiant and Hood and with 17 destroyers. On the 31st the squadron encountered two Italian floatplanes, both of which were shot down by the forces CAP. Later that day two destroyers were detached to head north in an attempt to deceive the Italians that Force H was heading for Genoa. The fleet then turned southeast, heading for Cagliari.
At 0325 on the 1st September 18 SeaLance planes armed with bombs and escorted by 6 Goshawks attacked the airfield at Cagliari with high explosive bombs and incendiaries. Significant damage was done to the installations, many of which were set on fire, and a number of planes destroyed on the ground. All the planes returned to the carrier without loss. It was expected that the RA would respond to this attack, but in fact the rest of that day passed without incident. At 2200 the reinforcements for the eastern fleet headed southeast while the remainder of Force H headed north.
Force H again attacked Cagliari on the night of the 1st, but haze and low cloud obscured the target and little damage was done. At 0800 on the 2nd Somerville headed west towards Gibraltar, expecting again to be attacked, but again there was no sign of the RA, which rather disappointed Somerville who had been looking forward to giving them a warm reception.
While this was going on Admiral Cunningham had left Alexandria on the 30th August with Warspite, Malaya, Implacable, two cruisers and 9 destroyers. At 1430 the fleet was sighted by an Italian aircraft, which was shot down a short while later by one of the Goshawks on CAP. Late in the afternoon another shadower was detected, but it managed to evade interception in cloud.
At noon on the 31st the fleet rendezvoused with the 3rd Cruiser squadron (Kent, Gloucester and Liverpool) south west of Cape Matapan, and a convoy of two stores ships and a tanker which would be escorted to Malta. On the afternoon of the 30th the merchant ships had been attacked by the RA, but the attackers had been driven off by a flight of Goshawks kept close to them for exactly this purpose, although they failed to shoot down any of the attackers.
At 1600 the fleet altered course to the south to try and make the Italians believe they were immediately returning to Alexandria. However at 1613 one of HMS Implacable's search planes reported an Italian surface force of two battleships, seven cruisers and some destroyers 180miles west of the force. Cunningham's dilemma was that if he moved to engage at night, it would be easy for the enemy to evade and attack the Malta-bound convoy. A night attack on the battleships was considered, but decided against as the intentions of the enemy were unclear, and by the time a strike could be mounted they could have moved uncomfortably close to the convoy; the last thing Cunningham wanted to do was to torpedo his own merchant ships at night!
The fleet therefore closed the merchant ships to stay with them overnight, hoping to arrange a morning strike on the battleships. Dissapointingly though, a RAF flying boat out of Malta spotted the force at the entrance of the Gulf of Taranto and heading home, too far away now for an air strike. The fleet continued west, and at 0900 on the 2nd met the Indefatigable and Valiant. While the fleet cruised some 35 miles south of Malta, the Valiant and the two cruisers entered harbor to offload personnel and equipment. The RA made two light raids while the ships were unloading, but both times were driven off by Goshawks from the carriers.
On the voyage back to Alexandria Cunningham intended to use his two fleet carriers to strike the airfields of Maritza and Callato on Rhodes. 12 SeaLance carrying bombs, and 12 Cormorants hit each of the targets at 0600, 40 minutes before dawn. Considerable destruction was done to the airfields and their infrastructure. At the same time HMAS Sydney bombarded Scarpanto airfield, her escorting destroyers sinking two torpedo boats . The fleet sailed into Alexandria without further incident on the 3rd.
Churchill was pleased with the success of the mission and the damage done to the Italians, and wanted Cunningham to continue to strike at the Italians during the Autumn. Cunningham pointed out that in order to do this successfully, reconnaissance by land based RAF aircraft was needed, of which at present there was a lack; he requested that when they could be released from the UK, a squadron or part squadron of the long range Whirlwinds would be most useful if based at Malta, as well as shorter ranged planes to fly from North Africa. he also pointed out that the already-proposed Operation Judgment depended on reconnaissance. He was promised 'at least 3' aircraft by the end of September.
