 In 1941 merchant ships sailing for Malta arrived but in the first seven months of 1942, of the that sailed, ten were sunk, ten were turned back damaged, three were sunk on arrival and seven delivered their supplies.In 2003, Woodward wrote that the 14 June order from Harwood, for the convoy to continue west before turning back, showed indecision and a lack of strategic sense, risking valuable merchant ships in the hope that British submarine and air attacks might enable the convoy to proceed.