-3- 5. Enemy Opposition: Hydrophones or other detection devices gave warning of the approach of the British aircraft for fire was opened at the outer edge of the Bay before the planes were over the AA guns. The firing dwindled slightly from the outer Bay to the inner harbor where it then became intense and close. The AA problem was a difficult one for the Italians to solve for the attacking aircraft came in from approxi- mately twelve different bearings, most of them consid- erably separated from each other. The Italians did not use searchlights. The Italians used colored tracers - red, white, blue and green. Of the two planes that returned, one had a two-pounder hole in one wing and the other had a small nick in the end of one wing. Of the two missing planes, one was picked up on the RDF screen. It approached within 25 miles of the ship and then went off to the coast of Greece to obtain a land- fall, then headed again for the ship and came within 30 miles, then headed back for the Greek coast and was lost on the screen. The other plane apparently was shot down or had a forced landing and the crew are prisoners in Italy. 6. Carrier Night Operations: There was a string of neon lights amidships on the fore- castle and a line of lights port and starboard to aid in taking off. Red obstruction lights marked the superstructure. Flame floats with delay action were dropped astern for aid to returning flyers. Neon batons were used by the officer controlling the landings. Green and red arrow directing batons were used for directing and spotting the planes around the deck. Each plane had a light on its undercarriage by the arrester and turned on its running lights just before landing. Each side of the stern was lighted by a green and red shaded light. The carrier blinked the letters P and S from the port and starboard sides of the ship as an aid to returning pilots. 7. Lessons