 Close Escort (Captain Ugo Bisciani) [Ship data from O'Hara (2009) unless indicated]

Distant Escort (Vice Admiral Bruno Brivonesi) [Ship data from O'Hara (2009) unless indicated]

The convoy was routed to the east of Malta, since the airfields in Libya were under Axis occupation, rather than the usual west and along the Tunisian coast.The convoy speed was and the distant escort had to sail a zig-zag course at .Brivonesi and were under the impression that the British ships would not be able to attack because they overlooked radar and prepared only for night attacks by aircraft.