Supplying Malta and fueling the destroyers' return

Six destroyers detached to deliver supplies to Malta while the main Tiger convoy continued east. Their exact identities remain uncertain because the available accounts disagree over the list of ships. Convoys from Alexandria brought five merchant ships to Malta in groups of two and three. Breconshire carried fuel for the destroyers, allowing them to return to Gibraltar and rejoin Force H. Their return journey depended on coordinating ships arriving from opposite ends of the Mediterranean.