The photo of HMS Illustrious (January 16) captioned “Berthed at Parlatorio Wharf” shows Valletta in the background and was taken on November 28, 1947.

She arrived from Portsmouth and was berthed at Parlatorio Wharf where she had endured massive punishment six years earlier.

In the other photo taken from Valletta showing the aerial bombing, the ship is hidden behind clouds of smoke. Crane Lighter No.4 is visible astern.

The ship revisited Malta in October 1951.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.