The account continues beyond the carrier's survival to show how naval aviation recovered from severe shipboard losses. Maintenance ratings dispersed on Malta, while surviving 815 and 819 Squadron personnel sailed aboard the cruiser Orion to Alexandria. There, 815 Squadron re-formed under RAF command with three aircraft that had been airborne during the attack, local spares, and replacements sent from Britain. The unit soon returned to operations and remained under RAF command for the next two years. Griffin's final memory of the crew saluting their dead before burial at sea keeps the human cost beside the logistical recovery.
Notable Point · 12:32-13:27
Rebuilding Illustrious's air group after the attack
After Illustrious reached Malta, surviving 815 and 819 Squadron personnel dispersed, returned to Alexandria, and rebuilt an operational air unit with airborne aircraft and replacement spares.