WWII Operation Pedestal
Laurence Shallenberger
Watch the Replay
The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company, (now Texaco). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940, and was later requisitioned by allied forces to re-supply the island fortress of Malta, during the Second World War. The tanker played a fundamental role in Operation Pedestal, which was one of the fiercest and most heavily contested of the Malta Convoys, in August 1942. Although the Ohio reached Malta successfully, she was so badly damaged that she had to be effectively scuttled in order to offload her cargo, and never sailed again. The tanker is fondly remembered in Malta, where to this day she is considered to be the saviour of the beleaguered island.
Join the Houston Maritime Museum as Laurence shares the true story of the ship and the people – civilians, soldiers, sailors and airmen – who fought with desperation to save the ship from repeated attack so that it and others might arrive at Malta with their cargos in order to save the island and its inhabitants.