Royal Navy surprises an Italian destroyer

2nd December 1942: Force K from Malta ambushes a solitary Italian destroyer in a rapid night action

A November 1942 Malta-bound convoy and escort, seen from HMS Euryalus at sunset.

The desperate struggle to resupply Malta was drawing to a close. The siege effectively came to an end on 1st December - with the arrival of the first convoy for over a year not to sustain a loss. 55,000 tons of supplies arrived from Egypt.

The Royal Navy was quickly able to r…