Malta - Valletta

 Athens to Rome Cruise

Malta's WW2 History 

February 6, 2026

This morning we docked in Valletta which is the capital of Malta.  I was really excited to see the walled city of Valletta which was built by the Knights of St. John in the 1300's AD.  Everyone who has sailed the Mediterranean has at some time occupied Malta.  However the Knights of St. John have had the largest impact.  

The focus of the tour today was Malta's WW2 history.  So we were on the bus and whisked off the the National War Museum which covered all of Malta's war history but we by passed all but the the WW2 section.  The British were in really bad shape in the early part of the war and Malta was just about to fall but a last ditch effort was made and huge convoy was sent with supplies.  The tanker Ohio, which  was the fastest and largest tanker of the day and only a couple of other ships limped in but it was enough to hold out.  

From the the museum we were off to the underground command post.  We were lead down a lot of very steep steps into this limestone cavern which housed the allied command center. The tour guide handed the mike over to the museum curator who then walked us through how all the big boards worked and covered Operation Husky which was the invasion of Sicily.  He was absolutely fascinating.  

From there we were off to see the Rotunda of Mosta .  It is huge cathedral which is modeled after the Vatican.  During WW2, while a service was in progress a flight of bombers came over and droped a 500kg bomb. It penetrated the ceiling of the dome but did not explode.  None of the 300 people were injured. You can still see the place in the ceil where the bomb came through and the original bomb is on display.   It is now the church of the Miracle Bomb. 

Outside the you can enter the WW2 bomb shelter which was a cave dug into the limestone.  It is only about 6'6" high inside and each person was only allocated a space of 2 sq ft.  As I was going down there was a moment of claustrophobia. Luckily I could see a light on ahead and it passed.  I can only imagine what it was like being in there and hearing the bombs exploding outside.  

What a wonderful tour.  What a great day exploring a tiny slice of Malta's history.

And what a wonderful tour of Malta.  It is really high on my list places I want to come back to explore. 

Terry