On the 70th anniversary of Operation Pedestal, Maltapost is issuing a set of 88 stamps while an anchor-shaped monument will be unveiled at Ta’ Liesse in Valletta
A memorial in the shape of an anchor will be unveiled on Monday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Santa Marija convoy, or Operation Pedestal, as it had been officially code-named.
In August 1942, a do-or-die attempt was made for the vital convoy of 13 freighters and a tanker to plough through Axis warships and submarines in the Mediterranean and deliver supplies to the starving islands of Malta and Gozo.
The convoy had been escorted by the most powerful fleet assembled for any single supply convoy operation of World War II.
Yet, only five ships reached the island after a fierce battle, both at sea and from the air, along the length of the route from near Gibraltar to Malta.
The gallant effort of the tanker Ohio and of the Royal Navy to tow the sinking vessel into Grand Harbour on the morning of August 15, 1942 is one of the epics of the war.
The ceremony of the unveiling of the memorial, in front of Ta’ Liesse church, Valletta, will be held on the initiative of the Apostleship of the Sea, which commemorates the great event every year. The government will collaborate this year and among those present will be the British First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, and a number of convoy veterans.
In London, on August 15, the Merchant Navy Association will hold its annual service at All Hallows Church by Tower Church, in London, on Wednesday. An exhibition on Operation Pedestal will be mounted at its headquarters ship, HMS Wellington, moored on the embankment near Temple tube station. This will run till September 8.
Maltapost will mark the event with an unprecedented set of 88 stamps, with a face value of 26c, depicting all the ships participating in the operation.
Midsea Books will be releasing a large-format 96-page book – Operation Pedestal The Story Of The Santa Marija Convoy – by John A. Mizzi, in collaboration with Maltapost, to coincide with the anniversary.
The book recounts graphically the course of Operation Pedestal and the various episodes of gallantry. The book includes more than 300 images of the convoy itself.
Stamps of gallantry
The stamps being issued by Maltapost to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Santa Maria Convoy depict the vessels that somehow took part in Operation Pedestal.
The convoy consisted of 13 freighters and a tanker escorted by four aircraft carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, 33 destroyers and a number of supporting ships.
The set, titled 70th Anniversary Operation Pedestal – 1942-2012, was designed by Cedric Galea Pirotta and will be issued in 11 sheets, each with eight different stamps. Each stamp measures 44mm by 31mm and has a perforation of 13.9 x 14.0 (comb.) bearing the Maltese Cross watermark.
Printex Ltd will print 80,000 sets in the offset process.
The stamps and the book are available from all post offices in Malta and Gozo.