WWII USS Wasp CV-7 Aircraft Carrier Ship Messages Spitfire Ferry Malta 1942

Description

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Estate sale find, vintage original ship messages from the USS Wasp relating to "Operation Calendar" the
ferrying of
British fighter aircraft to Malta.
First Message:
"... RECEIVED FROM AOC MALTA FOR WASP -... MY HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MAGNIFICENT ACHIEVEMENT IN SENDING OFF FORTY SEVEN AIRCRAFT AND ALL ARRIVING HERE.
WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HELP.
WE ARE SET ON REPELLING THE BRUTES AND SOME HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ACTION."
Second Message: 21 APRIL 1942
"I HAVE BEEN HONORED TO COMMAND THIS COMBINED AMERICAN AND BRITISH TASK FORCE.  THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY TASK SO EASY.  I WISH YOU AND TASK FORCE 39 ALL GOOD FORTUNE AND I MUCH HOPE WE MAY MEET AGAIN."
USS Wasp (CV-7) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier commissioned in 1940 and lost in action in 1942.   Wasp was initially employed in the Atlantic campaign, where Axis naval forces were perceived as less capable of inflicting decisive damage. After supporting the occupation of Iceland in 1941, Wasp joined the British Home Fleet in April 1942 and twice ferried British fighter aircraft to Malta.
Having landed her torpedo bombers and dive bombers at Hatston in Orkney, Wasp loaded 47 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. V fighters of No. 603 Squadron RAF at Glasgow on 13 April, then departed on the 14th, this was the start of "Operation Calendar". Her screen consisted of Force "W" of the Home Fleet – a group that included the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Cairo and Charybdis. Madison and Lang also served in Wasp's screen.
Wasp and her consorts passed through the Straits of Gibraltar under cover of the pre-dawn darkness on 19 April, avoiding the possibility of being discovered by Spanish or Axis agents. At 04:00 on 20 April, Wasp spotted 11 Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters on her deck and quickly launched them to form a combat air patrol (CAP) over Force "W".
Meanwhile, the Spitfires were warming up their engines in the hangar deck spaces below. With the Wildcats patrolling overhead, the Spitfires were brought up singly on the after elevator, spotted for launch, and then given the go-ahead to take off. One by one, they roared down the deck and over the forward rounddown, until each Spitfire was aloft and winging toward Malta.
When the launch was complete, Wasp retired toward Gibraltar, having safely delivered her charges. However, those Spitfires, which flew in to augment the dwindling numbers of Gladiator and Hurricane fighters, were tracked by efficient Axis intelligence and their arrival pinpointed. Most of the Spitfires were destroyed by heavy German air raids which caught many planes on the ground.
As a result, it looked as if the acute situation required a second ferry run to Malta. Accordingly, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, fearing that Malta would be "pounded to bits", asked President Roosevelt to allow Wasp to have "another good sting." Roosevelt responded in the affirmative.
Wasp loaded another contingent of Spitfire Vs at King George V Dock Glasgow and sailed for the Mediterranean on 3 May. Again, Wasp proceeded unmolested. This time, the British carrier HMS Eagle accompanied Wasp, and she, too, carried a contingent of Spitfires bound for Malta. The Spitfires for Eagle had been loaded at Greenock, James Watt Dock, from lighters. This was the start of Operation Bowery.
The two Allied carriers reached their launching points early on Saturday, 9 May, with Wasp steaming in column ahead of Eagle at a distance of 1,000 yards (910 m). At 06:30, Wasp commenced launching planes – 11 Wildcats of VF-71 to serve as CAP over the task force. First, Eagle flew off her 17 Spitfires in two waves; then Wasp flew off 47 more.
The first Spitfire took off at 06:43, piloted by Sergeant-Pilot Herrington, but lost power soon after takeoff and plunged into the sea, with loss of pilot and aircraft. The other planes flew off safely and formed up to fly to Malta. An auxiliary fuel tank on another aircraft failed to draw; without the additional fuel the pilot could not make Malta, and his only alternatives were to land on board Wasp – with no tailhook – or to ditch and take his chances in the water.
Measures approximately 6.5" X 7.5", approximate shipping weight: 3 ounces.
PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS  - The messages are in overall Poor to fair used condition with issues, glued down page, tape residue, signs of wear, paper is brittle, creases, fading, tears, sunning and age toning, soiling, stains, writing, no odors, please see images.
(C1B20-105)