Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Rukunin na 3 ya raka wani jerin gwano zuwa Arewacin Afirka a ranar 12 zuwa 13 ga Maris, 1941. Makonni biyu bayan haka, a ranar 27 ga Maris, wannan rukunin - a wannan lokacin wanda Admiral Luigi Sansonetti ya umurce shi - ya haɗu da sauran rundunar jiragen ruwa don babban zagaye zuwa tsibirin Crete. A 06:55 a ranar 28, wani jirgin ruwa na IMAM Ro.43 da aka kaddamar da "Vittorio Veneto" ya gano wani jirgin ruwa na Birtaniya, kuma ta hanyar 07:55, "Trento" da kuma 3rd Division sun zo cikin hangen nesa. Minti goma sha bakwai bayan haka, sojojin Italiya sun bude wuta daga nesa, suna fara kashi na farko na yakin.
Yaƙin Cape Matapan; a cikin tsawon minti arba'in na gaba, "Trento" ya kori jimlar harsashi 204 na makamai masu linzami, kodayake matsala tare da masu nisa da kuma matsanancin aikin ya hana ta zira kwallaye masu mahimmanci.