Relatively mild initial damage kept Penelope at Malta longer than intended and exposed her to repeated German and Italian air attacks. The raids left so many holes that she acquired the nickname HMS Pepperpot. Wooden plugs driven into those openings then made the ship resemble a porcupine, producing a second nickname. One story credits a German pilot flying an Italian aircraft with an attack, but its truth is uncertain. The nicknames came from the damage accumulated during repeated attempts to sink her.
Notable Point · 10:34-12:10
Why Penelope became HMS Pepperpot and Porcupine
Repeated air attacks while Penelope remained at Malta left her full of patched holes, producing the nicknames HMS Pepperpot and HMS Porcupine.