GUN A SUBMARINE TORPEDO.  THIS TORPEDO WAS AIMED AT THE SPITE. 
HOWEVER, FORTUNATELY, IT HIT THE GALLANT WHICH WAS NOT RUNNING AT
THE DEPTH IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.  HAVING BEEN TAKEN IN TOW, THE CRUISER
SUCCESSFLLY ESCORTED THE GALLANT TO MALTA DSPITE ATTACKS BOMBING
AND AIR TORPEDO.
     TWO TORPEDO PLANES OF ITALIAN NATIONALITY ATTACKED OUT OF THE
SUN AT TWELVE-THIRTY PM.  THEY THEN FIRED TORPEDOES AT FIFTEEN
HUNDRED YARDS, ONE HUNDRED FEET OF THE WATER, FOLLOWING WHICH
HAVING TURNED NINETY DEGREED THEY DEPARTED.  THE EMERGENCY
TURNED AWAY THE BATTLESHIPS, NARROWLY AVOIDING THE TORPEDOES. 
ANTAXX ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE OF AN INTENSE NATURE WAS NOT ABLE TO BRING
THESE AIRPLANES DOWN. 
     THE BATTLESHIPS WERE LEFT WITH NOT FIGHTER PROTECTION WHEN
THREE FIGHTERS WERE SENT IN PURSUIT OF THE TORPEDO PLANES, THE TWO
OTHER FIGHTERS BEING OVER THE CONVOY.  WHEN THIS TOOK PLAVE,
APPROXIMATELY 24 GERMAN DIVE BOMBERS (JUNKERS 88) CAME INTO VIEW. 
FOR THE PAST TWNETY MINUTES THESE PLANES HAD BEEN CLOSING IN ON THE
FLEET.  THE ILLUSTRIOUS WAS THE MAIN OBJECT OF THEIR ATTACK, ALTHOUGH
THEY ALSO ATTACKED THE VALIANT AND THE WARSPITE.  SINCE THE ATTACKS
WERE DETERMINED AND PRESSED HOME, THE PLANES MUST HAVE BEEN
PILOTED BY GERMANS.  THE PLANES ATTACKED FROM THE QUARTER OR THE
STERN, AND WHEN THEY DIVED THEY EITHER SPIRALED OR DIVED AT 70
DEGREE ANGLES AND MANUEVERED FROM 14,000 FEET TO 4,000 FEET.  THEY
PULLED OUT OF THE DIVE AT ABOUT 1,000 FEET, DROPING ADELAYACTION
ARMORPIERCING BOMBS, EACH WEIGHING 1,000 POUNDS.  ALL SHIPS RECIEVED
VERY CLOSE AND NUMEROUS NEAR MISSES.  SIX HITS