The son of the harbour pilot who guided the tanker Ohio into Grand Harbour at the height of the war is still awaiting national recognition for his father. 

Lorenzo Attard was in control of the tanker, barely afloat and strapped between two destroyers, as it limped into Grand Harbour, saving Malta from surrender.

“My father told my mother that if he did not die trying to steer the tanker into port, he would die a few days later from starvation,” George Attard, Lorenzo’s only surviving son, said.

Still full of fuel, the sinking vessel could have blown up if it came under attack again. But he lived to tell the tale – and with him, many Maltese.

Now 76, Mr Attard said he hopes that he will live to see his father receiving national recognition for his heroic act.

“I learnt the story of the arrival of the Santa Marija Convoy from him, but it was not until Lina Brockdorff mentioned my father in her book Sereni u Serenati that the story was made public,” the father-of-three said.

A marble plaque was unveiled in Ponsonby Street, Mosta, on the residence of the late Lorenzo, who passed away in 1964. However, the family is still hoping for national recognition, such as a bust erected in his hometown Vittoriosa.