in late July. On 29 August Dainty, Diamond and the destroyers , escorted the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Plumleaf and two merchant ships, and , from Egypt to Malta with relief supplies. Dainty and Ilex escorted the Australian light cruiser as she bombarded the Italian airfield on Scarpanto on 4 September. Together with three Australian destroyers and two British anti-aircraft cruisers, the ship escorted a convoy from Egypt to Suda Bay, Crete and then to Malta in early November. In December she was assigned to intercept enemy supply convoys along the North African coast and captured two schooners off Bardia on 31 December. In early January 1941, Dainty escorted the capital ships of Force A during Operation Excess. She towed the disabled tanker Desmoulea to Suda Bay after the latter had been torpedoed by the off Crete on 31 January. Sinking Shortly afterwards, Dainty returned to patrol the North African coast. In the late afternoon of 24 February she left Tobruk on a patrol, accompanied by the destroyer . The ships were attacked by 13 Junkers Ju 88 bombers of III./Lehrgeschwader 1 and Dainty was hit by a bomb which passed through the captain's cabin and detonated in the fuel tanks. This started a large fire, which caused her after magazine to explode and the ship to sink. 16 of Daintys crew were killed in the attack and 18 were wounded. Notes References External links HMS Dainty at Uboat.net HMS Dainty on naval-history.net C and D-class destroyers World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Destroyers sunk by aircraft 1932 ships Maritime incidents in February 1941 World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Ships sunk by German aircraft Naval magazine explosions