Club runs and submarine support for Malta

Carrier aircraft deliveries were central to the Mediterranean supply system before later Spitfires could fly from Gibraltar to Malta. Carriers brought the fighters, while submarines carried spares and conversion equipment needed to turn long-range ferry aircraft back into combat-ready machines. Reaching the island with an aircraft did not remove the need to supply its engine parts and combat equipment. These cargo missions could be important enough for a submarine to pass up an attack rather than reveal its position.