Lord West travels to Malta to tell the story of the Royal Navy's incredibly difficult war in the Mediterranean between 1940 and 1945.

The Mediterranean war was the last time an Admiral commanded an entire theatre of war from the bridge of a ship. It produced some dramatic fleet successes and saw an assault on German supply convoys which helped win the war in North Africa against Rommel.

In the end, the Royal Navy prevailed, but with some of the most desperate fighting of the war, the victory came at a price.

Producer: Giles Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.