 The convoy departed from Ceuta and was made up of four transports escorted by the gunboat "Dato", the coastguard ship "Uad Kert" and the old T-1 class torpedo boat "T-19".The convoy was covered by five Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 bombers, three F.VIIs, one DC-2, two NiD.52 fighters, two Do Js, and a squadron of Breguet 19s.Three Republican destroyers were keeping a close watch on Spanish Morocco ports, but in the morning of 5 August the Nationalist aircraft launched air attacks against the Republican vessels in the Strait and the Republican destroyer was forced to leave Gibraltar by the British authorities.