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It hosted aircraft of Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta) during the Second World War. Particularly during the Siege of Malta from 1941 to 1943, RAF Luqa was a very important base for British Commonwealth forces fighting against Italy and Germany for naval control of the Mediterranean and for ground control of North Africa.
The submarine base at Manoel Island was a priority target for Axis aerial attacks [6] and was heavily bombed in 1942 which forced a temporary withdrawal of the flotilla from Malta to Alexandria where the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet had already moved.
[8] Supervision of residual naval work in the dockyard would be carried out by personnel under the direction of the Flag Officer Malta. After Baileys were dispossessed by the Maltese Government, by February 1968, [9] the dockyard was closed as a naval base and the Royal Navy withdrew completely in 1979. [10]
Malta was a major naval base, being Britain's only port in the central Mediterranean on the crucial route between Gibraltar and Alexandria.During World War II it was also a forward base for the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) to launch attacks against the Axis Powers.
RAF Kalafrana was a seaplane operations centre on the southernmost tip of Malta between 1917 and 1946 when it was transferred to the Royal Navy.It played an important role in both world wars, starting as a base for anti-submarine and anti-piracy operations, its role being expanded to include Air Sea Rescue (ASR) operations as aircraft usage and accident rates increased in the inter-war years.
Malta was a base for air, sea and submarine operations against Axis supply convoys and from 1 June to 31 October 1941, British forces sank about 220,000 long tons (220,000 t) of Axis shipping on the African convoy routes, 94,000 long tons (96,000 t) by the navy and 115,000 long tons (117,000 t) by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA).
The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War.The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies from Europe to Italian Libya.
HMS Sparrowhawk, Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, Kirkwall, Orkney, 1939 - 1948; HMS Tern, Twatt Orkney RNAS Twatt; HMS Urley, Second World War flying station on the Isle of Man, RNAS Ronaldsway. HMS Vulture Royal Naval Air Station St Merryn (later HMS Curlew 1952-56), Cornwall, 1937-1952