"Liverpool" returned to the Mediterranean in June to participate in Operation Harpoon, part of the Malta Convoys. While assigned to Force W covering convoy WS.19 on 14 June, "Liverpool" and the convoy came under attack by at least 38 Axis aircraft. They crippled "Liverpool" and sunk the Dutch freighter "Tanimbar", ultimately depriving the convoy of a close cruiser escort as and were covering Force W's aircraft carriers when Italian ships attacked the surviving merchantmen and destroyers. The torpedo that impacted "Liverpool"s starboard side hit the engine room, partially flooding the cruiser and disabling her machinery and steering gear. Reduced to a speed of , "Liverpool" had to be taken under tow by the destroyer . For the rest of the day, Italian aircraft focused on "Liverpool" rather than the convoy. Before arriving at Gibraltar on 17 June, the group came under further air attack and "Liverpool" incurred additional damage due to near misses. For "Liverpool", casualties from the original attack were recorded in the ship's log as 15 killed and 22 wounded. The fatalities from the torpedoing had remained in the engine room and been affected by heat exposure, requiring the distribution of an additional tot of rum to the volunteer retrieval party.