safely. The operation's flag officer, Admiral Somerville, commended the six merchant ships for their "steadfast and resolute behaviour during air and E-Boat attacks" and singled out Captain MacFarlane "who set a high standard and never failed to appreciate directly what he should do". Captain MacFarlane was one of two Merchant Navy officers from Operation Substance who in December 1941 were awarded the OBE for their bravery. The London Gazette reported that MacFarlane "set a high standard and it is largely due to his leadership that the operation was successful". After Operation Substance Melbourne Star returned independently to Gibraltar and then crossed the Atlantic to Trinidad, where she arrived on 17 November 1941. Twelve days later she left and sailed independently back to Liverpool, where she arrived on 29 November. She seems to have spent Christmas 1941 and New Year 1942 in Liverpool, where she loaded a cargo for South Africa of armoured vehicles, motor transports, artillery, stores and two aircraft. She joined Convoy WS 15, which left on 10 January and reached Freetown on 25 January. Melbourne Star continued south, reaching Durban on 13 February. Melbourne Stars movements for the next four months are not known. She may have sailed east across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, for she left Panama on 13 June 1942 and reached the Clyde a fortnight later. Operation Pedestal In August 1942 Melbourne Star again relieved the siege of Malta, sailing with her sister Brisbane Star in Operation Pedestal. Melbourne Stars cargo included 1,350 tons of kerosene, 1,450 tons of high-explosive shells and cartridges and drums containing several thousand tons of heavy oil. She also carried extra Bofors 40 mm guns as deck cargo to augment Malta's air defence, but mounted so that they could also supplement the convoy's air defence en route to Malta. The two Blue Star vessels and other merchant ships for the operation sailed from the Firth of Clyde on 2 August as part of Convoy WS 21S, which reached Gibraltar on 10 August. There they transferred to Convoy MW 12 which left for Malta the same day. At 0810 hrs 13 August twelve Junkers Ju 88 bombers attacked the refrigerated cargo ship , which was immediately ahead of Melbourne Star. Waimarama was carrying aviation fuel and immediately burst into flames, showering Melbourne Star with débris including a piece of steel plate long. The base of a ventilator high hit and