During World War II, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal was repeatedly attacked by Italian bombers in the Mediterranean Sea but survived every assault. The ship earned a reputation for being lucky and was even falsely reported sunk by German propaganda on multiple occasions. The Italians most often used the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 "Sparviero" (Sparrowhawk) bomber in their attacks, an aircraft that found great success as a torpedo bomber. Notable encounters with Italian bombers: July 9, 19