Crew abandons ship. Italian torpedo bombers attack. August 14 Brisbane Star arrives Malta Frederick Larsen, Jr., third mate and Francis Dales, Cadet-Midshipman from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, crew members on the Santa Elisa volunteer to man guns on Ohio during tow. Weight of Ohio keeps breaking tow lines. Constant air attacks by 20 bombers.
Bomb destroys rudder and makes hole in stern of Ohio .
SS Ohio enters Malta August 17 . Germany reports that all the tankers in a recent Mediterranean convoy were sunk and not one of the transports reached their destination in Egypt . In September, Allied forces sank 100,000 tons of Axis shipping, including 24,000 tons of fuel destined for Rommel, leaving him desperately short of supplies during his assault at El Alamein on October 26, 1942. Heavily escorted, the convoy moved into the Mediterranean, and before noon of that day the enemy's attack began. From then on the entire convoy was under constant attack from Axis planes and submarines.