The last survivor of the crew aboard the battered tanker SS Ohio that made it to Malta as part of the Santa Marija convoy in 1942 has passed away aged 91.

Allan Shaw, who visited Malta nearly every year between 2002 and 2012 to commemorate Operation Pedestal that saved Malta 73 years ago, passed away peacefully in his sleep, his friend Simon Cusens told the Times of Malta.

Mr Cusens had tracked down Mr Shaw in 2001 and the war veteran came to Malta with more than 100 others who survived the attacks on the convoy.

Since then, Mr Shaw’s fan base in Malta grew and he had told Mr Cusens that Malta always had a special place in his heart.

In 2009, he told The Times of Malta that as the tanker was being towed into harbour, his 18-year-old self was surprised to see hundreds of people line the bastions.

For the seamen it was just another journey, surviving torpedoes and bombs and trying to make it safely into port.

But for those lining the harbour this was not just another ship. They knew that Malta had been saved, at least for the time being.