Editing SS Ohio (1940)

{{Short description|American oil tanker; used by the UK to resupply Malta during WWII}}
{{other ships|List of ships named SS Ohio}}
{{page numbers needed|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
<!--This article is in Commonwealth English-->
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=SS-Ohio supported.jpg
|Ship caption=''Ohio'' entering [[Valletta|Grand Harbour]] in Malta lashed between two [[destroyer]]s and a tugboat
}}{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship flag=
|Ship name= ''Ohio''
|Ship owner= *[[Texaco|Texas Oil Company]] (1940–42)
* [[Department for Transport|MoWT]] (1942–44)
|Ship operator=*[[Eagle Oil and Shipping Company|Eagle Oil & Shipping]] (1942–44)
|Ship registry=*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] (1940–42)
* {{flagicon|UK|civil}} [[Port of London|London]] (1942–44)
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.]]
|Ship yard number= 190
|Ship laid down= 7 September 1939
|Ship launched= 20 April 1940
|Ship completed= June 1940
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime Call sign|Call sign]] WEKV (1940–42)
* {{ICS|Whiskey}}{{ICS|Echo}}{{ICS|Kilo}}{{ICS|Victor}}
* Call sign BDYQ (1942–44)
* {{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|Yankee}}{{ICS|Quebec}}
* [[Official number]] 168296 (1942–44)
|Ship acquired=Transferred to MoWT 10 July 1942
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned= 15 August 1945
|Ship fate= Sunk by naval gunfire practice 19 September 1946
|Ship notes=
|Ship nickname= "OH 10"
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= SS Ohio
|Ship tonnage= *1940–42: {{GRT|9625}}, {{NRT|5405}}
* 1942–45: {{GRT|9514}}, {{NRT|5436}}
|Ship cargo capacity= {{convert|170000|oilbbl|m3}} of oil
|Ship length= *{{cvt|515|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
* {{cvt|495.0|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|p/p]]
|Ship beam= {{cvt|68.3|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship depth= {{cvt|36.2|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship horsepower=1,718 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
|Ship propulsion=*2 × [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|steam turbines]]
* [[Gear train|double reduction gearing]]
* 1 × [[Propeller|screw]] propeller
|Ship speed= *{{cvt|16|kn|km/h}}
* ([[sea trial]]s {{cvt|19|kn|km/h}})
|Ship range=
|Ship complement= 77 men (24 [[Defensively equipped merchant ship|DEMS]] gunners)
|Ship armament =*1 × 5-inch low-angle gun (aft)
* 1 × 3-inch anti-aircraft gun (bows)
* 1 × [[Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun]] abaft the funnel
* 6 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]
|sensors=*wireless [[direction finding]]
* [[echo sounding]] device
* [[gyrocompass]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''SS ''Ohio''''' was an [[oil tanker]] built for The Texas Company (later [[Texaco]]). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the [[Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania]]. The [[United Kingdom]] requisitioned it to re-supply the island fortress of [[Malta]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Holland |first=James |year=2005 |title=Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940–1943 |publisher=Cassell Military |isbn=0-304-36654-4 }}{{page needed|date=October 2020}}</ref>

The tanker played a key role in [[Operation Pedestal]], which was one of the fiercest and most heavily contested of the [[Malta convoys]], in August 1942.<ref>{{cite book |last=Spooner |first=Tony |year=1996 |title=Supreme Gallantry: Malta's Role in the Allied Victory, 1939–1945 |place=London }}{{page needed|date=October 2020}}</ref> Although ''Ohio'' reached Malta successfully, it was so badly damaged that it had to be effectively scuttled in order to offload its cargo, and never sailed again. The tanker is fondly remembered in Malta, where to this day it is considered the saviour of the beleaguered island.<ref>{{cite web |title= Speech by HE Dr. George Hyzler, Acting President of Malta, on the Occasion of the 225th Anniversary of the American Independence |url=http://www.doi.gov.mt/en/press_releases/2001/07/pr1026.asp |access-date=20 June 2007}}</ref>

==Design and building==
Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. built ''Ohio'' as hull 190,{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} launching her on 20 April 1940{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} and completing her that June.<ref name=LR41>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/41/41b0642.pdf |year=1941 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=Steamers & Motorships |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's of London]] |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref> She was a skillful compromise, promising broad cargo-carrying capacity to the merchant and speed, balance, and stability to the mariner. Above the waterline her design echoed the outward curve of a [[schooner]]'s bow, bearing the influence of the old American [[clipper]] ship design.  She was the lead ship of her class of eight ships, all owned by The Texas Company.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/sun.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161203224319/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/sun.htm |url-status= live |archive-date= 3 December 2016 |title= Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company List of Ships }}</ref>

The threat of a rearming Germany and a Japanese Empire bent on military expansion, and the approach of war, influenced ''Ohio''{{'}}s design. Unofficial conversations between military and oil chiefs resulted in a ship of {{GRT|9265|disp=long}} and {{NRT|5405}},<ref name=LR41/> 515 feet [[length overall]], and capable of carrying {{convert|170000|oilbbl|m3}} of [[fuel oil]]. The ship was completed in the unusually short time of seven months and 15 days.<ref name="Hunter 1983">{{citation |last1=Shankland |first1=Peter |last2=Hunter |first2=Anthony |year=1983 |title=Malta Convoy |publisher=Collins |isbn=0-00-632964-0 }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

The [[Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems|Westinghouse]] [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|steam turbine]] engines developed 9,000 [[driveshaft]] horsepower{{clarify|reason=What type of horsepower?|date=October 2020}} at 90 revolutions per minute, which gave her a speed of {{convert|16|kn|km/h}}. ''Ohio'' was considered the fastest tanker of her era.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://1000vampirenovels.com/pdf-novels/at-all-costs-214564-by-sam-moses-free/20-page |title=At All Costs |last=Moses |first=Sam |year=2006 |website=1000vampirenovels.com |page=20 |language=en-US |access-date=2018-09-29}}</ref> Her method of construction was controversial. For some years, the issue of welding versus riveting had raged on both sides of the Atlantic. ''Ohio'' was welded, with hopes it would prove once and for all its reliability.<ref name="Hunter 1983"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}} The ship also had a composite framing system with two longitudinally continuous [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s, which divided the ship into 21 cargo tanks.

The ship was launched the day after that scheduled, prompting superstitious fear in the welders, steel-cutters and other craftsmen who had assembled to watch her launch. She was christened in a ceremony presided over by the mother of William Starling Sullivant Rodgers, president of the [[Texas Oil Company]], Florence E. Rodgers, who, grasping the ceremonial bottle of champagne in her hand, pronounced the words:<ref name="Hunter 1983"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}

{{blockquote |I name this good ship ''Ohio''. May God go with her and all who sail in her. Good luck…<ref name="Hunter 1983"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}}}

The ship slid down No. 2 slipway, entering the waters of the [[Delaware River]]. The existence of ''Ohio'' would, in her initial years, be uneventful and ordinary, plying between [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]] and various other American harbors. She set a speed record from [[Bayonne, New Jersey|Bayonne]] to Port Arthur, covering {{convert|1882|mi|km}} in four days and twelve hours, an average of more than seventeen knots.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite book |last=Pearson |first=Michael |title=The Ohio and Malta |year=2004 |place=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |isbn=1-84415-031-3}}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

==Malta, <!--suggest quotemarks here (and below) rather than italics, to distinguish between operation and ship names:-->"Pedestal" planning and ''Ohio''==

In 1942, Britain was [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|waging war in the Mediterranean]] against the German [[Afrika Korps]] and Italian forces in North Africa. Crucial to this theatre of operations was the island of Malta,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Second World War in the Mediterranean, North Africa and Italy |publisher=The We Were There Exhibition |url= http://www.wewerethere.mod.uk/wewerethere_old/inmed.html |access-date=20 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080124112038/http://www.wewerethere.mod.uk/wewerethere_old/inmed.html |archive-date=24 January 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=War in the Mediterranean |publisher=The Royal Navy |url=http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3862 |access-date=20 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016203025/http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3862 |archive-date=16 October 2008 }} "The Mediterranean campaign revolved around the island of Malta, where the British based surface ships, submarines and aircraft [were] to attack the supplies for [the] Italian and German armies in North Africa. Major convoy operations were mounted to sustain Malta and the island narrowly survived."</ref> sitting in the middle of Axis supply lines and, if supplied with sufficient munitions, aircraft and fuel, capable of causing severe shortages to the German and Italian armies in North Africa. Munitions and aircraft were available – during a brief lull in the Axis attacks, for example, the island's defenses were reinforced by 38 [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire Mk V]] aircraft flown in from {{HMS|Furious|47|6}} – but these, along with food and fuel, remained in critically short supply. Successive attempts at resupplying the island had mostly failed; the convoys "[[Operation Harpoon (1942)|Harpoon]]" (from Gibraltar) and "[[Operation Vigorous|Vigorous]]" (from [[Alexandria]], Egypt) saw most of their merchantmen sunk and escort ships damaged by aerial and surface attacks.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}} One of the ships lost during "Harpoon" was ''Ohio''{{'}}s sister ship ''Kentucky'', crippled by a German air attack and then abandoned. The tanker was eventually finished off by the Italian cruisers {{ship|Italian cruiser|Raimondo Montecuccoli||2}} and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Eugenio di Savoia||2}} and two destroyers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malta Convoys, 1940–1943 |last=Woodman |first=Richard |publisher=Jack Murray |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7195-5753-8 |place=London |page=339}}</ref>

On 18 June, after the failures of "Harpoon" and "Vigorous", the Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet cabled UK Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] to express his doubts about attempting another convoy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wade |first=Frank |title=A Midshipman's War: A Young Man in the Mediterranean Naval War, 1941–1943 |chapter=IX |year=2005 |publisher=Trafford Publishing |isbn=1-4120-7069-4}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}} Three days later ''Ohio'' steamed into the mouth of the [[River Clyde|Clyde]], under the command of Sverre Petersen, a former Master in Sail from [[Oslo]], in Norway. In early May 1942, a radio message had reached Captain Petersen which diverted the ship to [[Galveston]] in Texas, and then ordered the tanker to proceed to Britain. Before leaving, ''Ohio'' was [[Defensively equipped merchant ship|defensively armed]] with one {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on}} gun on her stern and one {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on}} anti-aircraft gun in the bow. She then moved to Sinclair Terminal, [[Houston]] in Texas, where she loaded a full cargo of {{convert|103576|oilbbl|m3}} of petrol (gasoline), and sailed on 25 May. ''Ohio'' discharged her cargo at [[Bowling, West Dunbartonshire|Bowling-on-the-Clyde]], then steamed out into the [[tideway]] and anchored, awaiting orders.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}

Here the captain received a letter from [[Frederick Leathers, 1st Viscount Leathers|Lord Leathers]], the head of the [[Secretary of State for Transport#Minister of War Transport|British Ministry of War Transport]], bidding the master a personal welcome and "...your safe arrival in the Clyde with the first cargo of oil carried in a United States tanker." However, the euphoria that such a message brought to the crew soon turned into resentment and anger. A telegram was received the same day by the head office of Texaco, from the [[War Shipping Administration]], announcing simply that ''Ohio'' was being [[Eminent domain|requisitioned]] "pursuant to the law". The immediate reaction was a cabled message from Mr TE Buchanan, General Manager of Texaco's Marine Department to the firm's London agent, that on no account was ''Ohio'' to leave her discharging port of Bowling-on-the-Clyde.

A period of indecision, meetings and debates between the highest US authorities and their British counterparts soon ensued. The master was told that further orders would arrive soon afterwards. The decision was finally taken two weeks later, when a launch sped out to the ship anchored in the Clyde and Texaco's London agent, accompanied by an official of the UK [[Ministry of War Transport]] came aboard. They met the Captain, who was told that the ship was to be requisitioned and handed over to a UK crew. The US crew and the captain were exasperated by the seemingly outrageous order, but had no other option but to give in, and started to pack their kit whilst UK seamen began to take the ship over.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}

On 10 July, Captain Petersen handed over the ship. There was no formal ceremony and little goodwill. The US flag was taken down, and ''Ohio'' henceforward sailed under the [[Red Ensign]]. Overnight she was transferred from US to UK registry. On 25 July the MoWT contracted her management to the [[Eagle Oil and Shipping Company]], which was warned of the importance of the impending convoy and that "''...''much might depend on the quality and courage of the crew''.''"<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite book |last=Moses |first=Sam |year=2006 |title=At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Marines Turned the Tide of World War II |place=New York |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-345-47674-3 }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> At about the time ''Ohio'' was transferred to the UK registry, her tonnages were revised to {{GRT|9514}} and {{NRT|5436}}.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/42/42b0654.pdf |year=1942 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=Steamers & Motorships |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's of London]] |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Operation Pedestal, August 1942 A11249.jpg|thumb|Rear-Admiral H M Burrough, CB, who commanded the close escort, shaking hands with Captain Dudley Mason]]
As the UK crew started to assemble, it became clear that a large convoy was being planned. Command of the ship passed to Captain [[Dudley William Mason|Dudley W Mason]], who at 39 had already held other commands. James Wyld was to be [[chief engineer]]. 48 hours after ''Ohio'' had been transferred to British registry, her crew was completed. The ship's company numbered 77, including 24 [[Royal Navy]] and [[Royal Artillery]] Marine Regiment [[Defensively equipped merchant ship|DEMS]] gunners. The ship was then moved to [[King George V Dock, Glasgow]] for  improvements and additional armament.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} As she would be the only ship carrying kerosene and diesel fuel which were so vital to Malta's survival before she sailed she was given special strengthening to protect her against the shock of bombs exploding near her. In the previous convoy, the tanker ''Kentucky'' had been sunk with only a few hours' repair work needed on a steam pipe, which had been broken by the force of such explosions. The Ministry was determined that this should not happen again, and so ''Ohio''{{'}}s engines were mounted on rubber bearings, to reduce shock, and all steam pipes were supported with steel springs and baulks of timber. A system of pipes were connected to the ships compressors and a new diesel compressor so that air at 120 lb per square inch could pressurise any holed tank and blow seawater back out.<ref name=":0">Moses 2006 p103</ref> The armament was improved with a 3-inch anti-aircraft gun on the bow, a 5-inch gun on the stern, two more Oerlikons, machine guns and a [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40 mm Bofors]] behind the funnel to guard against stern attacks by aircraft.<ref name=":0" />

===''Ohio'' and "Pedestal"===
{{main|Operation Pedestal}}

====Departure====
After the failure of the mid-June convoys, it was wondered if Malta could hold out on the meagre supplies rescued from "Harpoon" and "Vigorous" and small deliveries carried by submarine and by the fast minelayer {{HMS|Welshman|M84|6}} until another convoy could be organised. Escorting merchant ships in the brilliance of a Mediterranean moonlit period was courting disaster. This situation limited operations in the immediate future to the moonless period in July or August between the 10th and 16th of those months. July passed as ''Ohio'' could not be fitted out in time. Once the due planning had been carried out it was decided to begin the operation in August.

''Ohio'' steamed down to [[Dunglass]] on the Clyde and loaded 11,500 tons of [[kerosene]] and [[diesel fuel]] oils. 

While the merchant ships gathered in the [[Firth of Clyde]], the naval forces had already reached [[Scapa Flow]]. Admiral [[Edward Neville Syfret|Syfret]] joined the battleship {{HMS|Nelson|28|6}} there on 27 July and held a convoy conference on 2 August. The same day, all leave had been stopped. At eight o'clock that evening, two hours before dusk, the convoy sailed. The 14 ships, of WS 21S led by {{HMS|Nigeria|60|6}} with the cruiser ''Kenya'' and destroyers ''Bicester'' and ''[[HMS Bramham|Bramham]]'' formed up; it was dark by the time they reached the open sea.<ref name="La Battaglia Di Mezzo Agosto">{{cite web |title=La Battaglia Di Mezzo Agosto |url= http://digilander.libero.it/planciacomando/WW2/mezzoagosto1.htm |access-date=23 May 2007 |language=it}}</ref>

The following day, WS21S was joined by Force F (two battleships and six destroyers) and then a further five destroyers. Further warships joined the convoy en route to Gibraltar. By the 8 August the convoy numbered 67 vessels.

====Axis attacks and damage====
The convoy left Gibraltar in thick fog on 9 August.<ref>{{cite book |last=Arthur |first=Max |title=Lost Voices of the Royal Navy |publisher=Hodder and Stroughton |date=1996 |page=347}}</ref> A day later, four torpedoes from the {{GS|U-73|1940|6}} struck the aircraft-carrier {{HMS|Eagle|1918|6}} which sank in four minutes, killing 260 men, and losing all but four planes. On the same day, German bombers attacked the convoy.<ref name="La Battaglia Di Mezzo Agosto"/> On 12 August 20 [[Junkers Ju 88]]s attacked the convoy, while a further combined strike by 100 German and Italian [[Regia Aeronautica]] planes attacked the merchantmen.

In the ensuing mayhem the {{ship|Italian submarine|Axum}} torpedoed ''Ohio'' amidships.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wingate |first=John |year=1991 |title=The Fighting Tenth: The Tenth Submarine Flotilla and the Siege of Malta |place=London }}</ref> A huge pillar of flame leapt high into the air. ''Ohio'' was on fire and seemed to be out of control. Captain Mason ordered the engines to be shut down, with all deckhands available fighting the fire with the deck waterlines. Burning kerosene bubbled up from the fractured tanks, while small gouts of flame spattered the deck up to 30 yards from the blaze. The flames were put out and the tanker managed {{convert|13|kn|km/h}} after being repaired. The blast destroyed the ship's [[gyrocompass]] and knocked the [[magnetic compass]] off its bearings, while the steering gear was put out of action, forcing the crew to steer with the emergency gear aft.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=David A |title=Malta Convoys |date=31 December 1999 |place=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |isbn=0-85052-663-9}}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

[[File:HU 047560.jpg|thumb|A torpedo from the {{ship|Italian submarine|Axum}} strikes ''Ohio'' on her port side]]

The torpedo had blown a hole, {{convert|24|by|27|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, in the port side of the midships pump-room. It had also blown a hole in the starboard side, flooding the compartment. There were jagged tears in the bulkheads and kerosene was spurting up from adjoining tanks, seeping in a film up through the holes in the hull. The deck had been broken open, so that one could look down into the ship. From beam to beam the deck was buckled, but the ship held together.

Another 60 [[Junkers Ju 87]] ''Stuka'' dive bombers attacked the convoy, focusing on ''Ohio''.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}} A series of near misses ensued as the tanker approached the island of [[Pantelleria]]. Bombs threw spray over the decks of the tanker, while aircraft used their machine guns. One near-miss buckled the ship's plates and the forward tank filled with water. The 3-inch (76&nbsp;mm) gun at the bows was twisted in its mountings and put out of action. A formation of five Ju 88s was broken up by the tanker's anti aircraft guns, with the bombs falling harmlessly in the sea.

One of ''Ohio''{{'}}s gunners shot down a Ju 87, but the aircraft crashed into the ship's starboard side, forward of the upper bridge, and exploded. Half a wing hit the upper work of the bridge and a rain of debris showered the tanker from stem to stern. The plane's bomb failed to detonate.<ref name="La Battaglia Di Mezzo Agosto"/> Captain Mason was telephoned from aft by the chief officer, who told Mason that the Ju 87 had crashed into the sea and then bounced onto the ship. Mason 'rather curtly' replied: "Oh that's nothing. We've had a Junkers 88 on the foredeck for nearly half an hour."<ref>{{cite book |last=Arthur |first=Max |year=2004 |title=Forgotten Voices of The Second World War |publisher=Random House |isbn=0091897343 |page=172}}</ref>

[[File:SS-Ohio Arrival.jpg|thumb|''Ohio'' escorted by a flotilla of destroyers and minesweepers]]
As the ship turned slowly to comb torpedoes,{{clarify|reason=Comb?|date=October 2020}} two sticks of bombs fell, one on either side of the tanker. The vessel was lifted clean out of the water. Cascades of spray and bomb splinters lashed the deck, she fell back with a crash. ''Ohio'' had differential gearing which slowed the propeller automatically; on other ships, the same effect would have shaken the engines out of their rooms.{{clarify|reason=Most turbine ships of her era had reduction gearing. What was different about "Ohio"'s? |date=October 2020}}

Continuously bombed, the tanker kept on steaming until another explosion to starboard sent her reeling to port. The engine-room lights went out because the master switches had been thrown off by the force of the explosion. An electrician quickly switched them on again. The boiler fires had been blown out, and it was a race against time to restore them before the steam pressure dropped too low to work the fuel pumps. The engineers lit the fire starter torches to restart the furnaces.<ref>{{cite web |title=Operation Pedestal and SS Ohio Save Malta |url= http://www.usmm.org/malta.html |access-date=23 May 2007}}</ref>

The complicated routine of restarting went forward smoothly and within 20 minutes ''Ohio'' was steaming at 16 knots again. Then another salvo of bombs hit the ship, shaking every plate, and once more the engines slowed and stopped. The concussion had broken her electric fuel pumps. While the crew tried to reconnect the electrical wires and restart the engines via the auxiliary steam system, the engine room was filled with black smoke until the engines were properly re-lit. The ship was making alternate black and white smoke and, with oil in the water pipes and a loss of vacuum in the [[condenser (steam turbine)|condenser]], ''Ohio'' started to lose way slowly, coming to a stop at 1050 hrs. The crew abandoned ship, boarding {{HMS|Penn|G77|6}} that had come to ''Ohio''{{'}}s aid with another destroyer, {{HMS|Ledbury|L90|6}}. ''Ledbury'' soon left the stricken tanker after being ordered to go in search of the cruiser<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Navy Cruisers Part 4 |url= http://www.btinternet.com/~a.c.walton/navy/rn-cr4.html#prof |access-date=25 May 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000903070222/http://www.btinternet.com/~a.c.walton/navy/rn-cr4.html#prof |archive-date=3 September 2000 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{HMS|Manchester|C15|6}}, which had been crippled by Italian [[motor torpedo boat]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Legion chief recalls horror sinkings |url= http://archive.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/2002/11/6/241065.html#prof |access-date=25 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928113737/http://archive.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/2002/11/6/241065.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>

====Under tow====
''Penn''{{'}}s commanding officer, Commander JH Swain RN, offered Captain Mason a tow with a heavy 10-inch [[manila hemp]] rope. With the tow line in place ''Penn'' moved ahead, straining her engines to the limit. ''Ohio'' continued to list to port. The two ships were making no progress, and were even drifting astern with the easterly wind. Now both ships were sitting targets, and as another serious attack developed, the destroyer went to full speed to part the tow. A German bomber dived at the tanker and released its bomb just before it was shot down by ''Ohio''{{'}}s gunners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Merchant Marine Heroes |url= http://www.usmm.org/heroes.html |access-date=23 May 2007}}</ref> The bomb hit the tanker just where the initial torpedo had hit her, effectively breaking her keel just as night was setting in.

''Ohio'' was abandoned for the night. The day after, ''Penn'' was joined by the minesweeper {{HMS|Rye|J76|6}}. The two ships towed the tanker and succeeded in making up to {{convert|5|kn|km/h}}, overcoming the tendency to swing to port. Another attack blasted the group of ships, breaking the tow lines and immobilising ''Ohio''{{'}}s rudder. Another bomb hit the fore end of her foredeck, forcing the engineers out of the engine room. Once more, Mason gave the order to abandon ship, as two more air attacks narrowly missed the tanker. A superficial examination showed that the rent that had developed in the amidships section had widened and that the ship had indeed almost certainly broken her back.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter C |year=1998 |title=Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta |publisher=Goodall Publications |isbn=0-907579-19-1 }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

[[File:SS-Ohio destroyers.jpg|right|thumb|The damaged tanker, supported by Royal Navy destroyers HMS ''Penn'' (left) and ''Ledbury'' (right).]]

The two ships around the tanker were joined by HMS ''Bramham'' and by ''Ledbury'' which had returned from her search for ''Manchester''. Meanwhile, ''Rye'' had again begun to tow ''Ohio'' with the newly arrived ''Ledbury'' acting as a stern tug. With less pull from ''Ledbury'', a fair speed was maintained, but steering proved impossible. A stabilising factor was needed, thus Commander Swain edged ''Penn'' to the starboard side of ''Ohio''. ''Rye'', joined by ''Bramham'', slowly got under way once more, with ''Ledbury'' acting as a rudder. Another enemy air attack began just as the group of ships was moving at {{convert|6|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}.

At 1045 hrs the first wave of dive-bombers came low over the water. Only one [[oil bomb]] landed close to ''Ohio{{'}}s'' bow, showering her with burning liquid. Then came three more echelons of German planes. This time, close air support from Malta was available.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Peter C |last2=Walker |first2=Edwin |title=The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces |place=Shepperton |publisher=[[Ian Allan (publisher)|Ian Allan]] |year=1974 |isbn=0-7110-0528-1}}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> 16 Spitfires, of [[No. 229 Squadron RAF|229]] and [[No. 249 Squadron RAF|249]] Squadrons from Malta, had sighted the enemy.<ref>{{cite book |last=McAulay |first=Lex |year=1989 |title=Against All Odds: RAAF Pilots in the Battle for Malta, 1942 |place=Milsons Point }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> The first enemy formation wavered and broke. The second formation also broke, but one section of Ju 88s succeeded in breaking free, making for the tanker. These were swiftly followed by Spitfires. Three of the German planes were shot down or manoeuvred to evade the Spitfires, but one bomber held its course and a 1,000-pound bomb landed in the tanker's wake. ''Ohio'' was flung forward, parting ''Rye''{{'}}s tow, buckling the stern plates of the tanker and forming a great hole.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jellison |first=Charles A |year=1984 |title=Besieged: The World War II Ordeal of Malta, 1940–1942 |place=Hanover, NH }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

====Arrival====
''Ohio'' was sinking little more than 45 miles west of Malta. Under the protection of the Spitfires, the danger of enemy attacks receded. After the tow line was parted, ''Ledbury'' was still secured to ''Ohio'' by a heavy wire which had been pulled round by the heavily yawing tanker, and had ended up alongside ''Penn'', facing the wrong way. After a quick analysis of the possibilities, it was decided to tow the tanker with a destroyer on either side of the tanker. ''Bramham'' was immediately ordered to make for port, while ''Penn'' remained coupled to the starboard side.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bradford |first=Ernle |year=1986 |title=Siege: Malta 1940–1943 |place=New York }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref> The speed was increased but limited to {{convert|5|kn|km/h}}. ''Ohio''{{'}}s deck was awash amidships. Now under the protection of the coastal batteries of Malta, the group of ships were slowly moving around the island, approaching [[Grand Harbour]]. The coastal batteries fired on a creeping [[U-boat]]'s conning tower, and drove off a group of [[E-boat]]s.

Slowly the group approached the tricky harbour entrance, near Zonqor Point. Here the group dispersed before a British-laid [[minefield]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Leighton |first=Frank |title=Frayed Lifelines: A Siege Survivor's Story |year=2003 |publisher=Trafford Publishing |isbn=1-55395-841-1 }}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>
At 0600 hrs on the festival of'Santa Marija (Assumption of Mary), with ''Ohio'' still hovering on the edge of the minefield, the situation was eased by the arrival of the Malta tugs. With destroyers still linked on either side of the tanker, the tugs made fast ahead and astern and the tanker was soon proceeding up the channel to the Grand Harbour entrance.<ref>{{cite book |last=Attard |first=Joseph |year=1980 |title=The Battle of Malta |place=London }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

There, a great welcome awaited them. On the ramparts above the wreck-strewn harbour, on the Barracca, [[Fort Saint Angelo]] and [[Senglea]], great crowds of Maltese men and women waved and cheered and a brass band on the end of the mole was giving a spirited rendition of ''[[Rule Britannia]]''. Captain Mason, standing at the salute on the damaged bridge of the ''Ohio'', had no time to reflect on the arrival at the harbor, as the creaking plates indicated the ship was still at risk of sinking in the Grand Harbour.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hogan |first=George |year=1978 |title=Malta: The Triumphant Years, 1940–1943 |place=London }}{{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

[[File:SS-Ohio discharging.jpg|thumb|''Ohio'' discharging her cargo in the Grand Harbour]]

Pipes were now hauled aboard and emergency salvage pumps began to discharge the kerosene. At the same time, a fleet auxiliary, RFA ''Boxol'', began to pump the 10,000 tons of fuel oil into her own tanks. As the oil flowed out, ''Ohio'' sank lower and lower in the water. The last drops of oil left her and simultaneously her keel settled on the bottom.<ref>[[Caroline Vernon]]. ''Our Name Wasn't Written – A Malta Memoir'' (Canberra, Australia, 1992)</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2020}} Her captain, [[Dudley William Mason]], was subsequently awarded the [[George Cross]].<ref>{{cite web |title=George Cross Database Recipient: D.W. Mason |url= http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/MasonDW.htm |access-date=25 May 2007}}</ref>

====Aftermath====
After ''Ohio'' reached Malta, the ship broke in two from the damage she had sustained. There were insufficient shipyard facilities to repair the tanker, so the two halves were used for storage, and later barracks facilities for Yugoslavian troops.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ohio |url= http://www.geocities.com/mike_buhagiar/ohio/ohio.html |access-date=23 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822105551/http://www.geocities.com/mike_buhagiar/ohio/ohio.html |archive-date=22 August 2006}}</ref>

On 19 September 1946 the forward half of ''Ohio'' was towed {{convert|10|mi}} offshore and sunk by gunfire from the destroyer {{HMS|Virago|R75|6}}. On 3 October, the stern half was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] in deep water using explosive charges laid by the salvage vessel RFA ''Salventure''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Caruana |first=J |date=1992 |title=Ohio Must Get Through |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBJHAQAAIAAJ |journal=Warship International |volume=29 |pages=333–348 }}</ref>

== Epilogue ==
The final ship built for the Texaco fleet was ''Star Ohio'', in honour of the famous Second World War tanker. She is operated by Northern Marine Management on behalf of [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The nameplate, ships wheel, ensign and several other objects of ''Ohio'' are preserved in Malta's [[National War Museum (Malta)|National War Museum]] in Valletta.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The arrival of ''Ohio'' at the Grand Harbour provided the [[Climax (narrative)|climax]] of the 1953 British [[war film]] ''[[Malta Story]]''<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Allan |date=2014 |title=Operation Crossbow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=seF6AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA253 |publisher=Arrow Books |page=253 |isbn=978-0099557333 }}</ref> directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, starring [[Alec Guinness]] and [[Jack Hawkins]].

==See also==
* {{MV|San Demetrio}}

==Fates of ships in class==
* SS ''Ohio'', Yard Number 190, Torpedoed and bombed off Malta 1942, scuttled 1946.
* SS ''Oklahoma'', Yard Number 198, Torpedoed 1942, refloated, lost in North Atlantic 1945.
* SS ''Kentucky'', Yard Number 223, To Britain 1942, bombed and scuttled off Malta 1942.
* SS ''Colorado'', Yard Number 224, Survived war, scrapped 1970.
* SS ''Montana'',  Yard Number 225, Survived war, scrapped 1965.
* SS ''Georgia'',  Yard Number 324, Survived war, scrapped 1965.
* SS ''Delaware'', Yard Number 325, Survived war, scrapped 1970.
* SS ''Indiana'',  Yard Number 326, Survived War, scrapped 1964.

==Notes==
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{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Attard |first=Joseph |title=The Battle of Malta |publisher=Progress Press |year=1988 |isbn=99909-3-014-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Bradford |first=Ernle |title=Siege: Malta 1940–1943 |place=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2003 |isbn=0-85052-930-1}}
* {{cite journal |last=Caruana |first=J |year=1992 |title=''Ohio'' Must Get Through |journal=Warship International |volume=XXIX |issue=4 |pages=334–348 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book |last=Crabb |first=Brian James |title=Operation Pedestal. The Story of Convoy WS21S in August 1942 |publisher=Shaun Tyas |year=2014 |place=Donington |isbn=978-1-907730-19-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Hogan |first=George |title=Malta: The Triumphant Years, 1940–1943 |publisher=Hale |year=1978 |isbn=0-7091-7115-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Holland |first=James |title=Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940–1943 |place=London |publisher=Cassell Military |year=2004 |isbn=0-304-36654-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Jellison |first=Charles A |title=Besieged: The World War II Ordeal of Malta, 1940–1942 |place=Lebanon, NH |publisher=University of New Hampshire Press |year=1985 |isbn=1-58465-237-3}}
* {{cite book |last=McAulay |first=Lex |title=Against All Odds: RAAF Pilots in the Battle for Malta, 1942 |publisher=Hutchinson |year=1989 |place=London |isbn=0-09-169570-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Moses |first=Sam |title=At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Marines Turned the Tide of World War II |publisher=Random House |year=2006 |place=New York |isbn=0-345-47674-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Pearson |first=Michael |title=The Ohio and Malta: The Legendary Tanker That Refused to Die |place=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |year=2004 |isbn=1-84415-031-3}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shankland |first1=Peter |last2=Hunter |first2=Anthony |title=Malta Convoy |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |year=1983 |place=London |isbn=0-00-632964-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Peter C |last2=Walker |first2=Edwin |title=The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces |place=Shepperton |publisher=[[Ian Allan (publisher)|Ian Allan]] |year=1974 |isbn=0-7110-0528-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter C |title=Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta |publisher=Crecy Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=0-947554-77-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Spooner |first=Tony |title=Supreme Gallantry: Malta's Role in the Allied Victory, 1939–1945 |publisher=Cassell Military |year=1996 |place=London |isbn=0-7195-5706-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Thomas |first=David A |title=Malta Convoys |place=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |year=2000 |isbn=0-85052-663-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Vernon |first=Caroline |title=Our Name Wasn't Written – A Malta Memoir |publisher=Imagecraft |year=1990 |isbn=0-7316-7089-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Wade |first=Frank |title=A Midshipman's War: A Young Man in the Mediterranean Naval War, 1941–1943 |publisher=Trafford Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=1-4120-7069-4}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}}
* {{cite book |last=Wingate |first=John |title=The Fighting Tenth: The Tenth Submarine Flotilla and Siege of Malta |place=Barnsley |publisher=Leo Cooper |year=1991 |isbn=0-85052-891-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ohio (ship, 1940)}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.usmm.org/malta.html |title=Operation Pedestal and SS ''Ohio'' save Malta |work=American Merchant Marine at War|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613041218/http://www.usmm.org/malta.html |archive-date=13 June 2007 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011122094522/http://www.geocities.com/mike_buhagiar/ohio/ohio.html Timeline of events]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20020101214232/http://www.usswashington.com/dl13au42.htm Detailed description of events]}}
* {{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2289714.stm |title=Operation Pedestal: Saving Malta |publisher=BBC News |date=1 October 2002}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=6016031 |title=Merchant Navy (64): Tanker SS ''Ohio'' damaged en route to Malta: salvage services rendered... |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]}} reference: ADM 1/15526

{{August 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{1946 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Mediterranean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio}}
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:20th century in Malta|Siege]]
[[Category:Mediterranean theatre of World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in August 1942]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1946]]
[[Category:Ministry of War Transport ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United States]]
[[Category:Texaco]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:World War II tankers of the United States]]