Eagle entered Operation Pedestal alongside Victorious and Indomitable with twenty Sea Hurricanes assigned to fleet air defence. On 11 August 1942 U-73 achieved a broadside spread of four torpedo hits, far beyond a single-torpedo survivability test. The carrier capsized and sank in about four minutes. The loss included 131 officers and ratings, many from the engine rooms, while escorting destroyers and a tug rescued 67 officers and 862 sailors. Four fighters already airborne landed elsewhere, but sixteen aircraft went down with the ship.
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U-73 sinks Eagle during Operation Pedestal
While providing fighter cover for Operation Pedestal, Eagle took four torpedoes from U-73 and sank in four minutes with 131 officers and ratings lost.