Ramba uchiverenga ndima ino - Musi wa9 February 1941, Iachino akatungamirira ngarava dzeItaly pakutevera zvisina kubudirira kweBritish Force H, mushure mekunge yapedzisira yarwisa Genoa neLa Spezia. Akarayirazve ngarava dzehondo dzeItaly muHondo yeCape Matapan
(26-29 Kurume 1941), izvo zvakaguma nekukundwa kukuru kwakambotambudzwa neRegia Marina; achiramba mishumo yezvikepe zvehondo zveBritain zviri pedyo zvisina kururama kana kuti zvakanyanyisa, akatumira 1st Cruiser Division yose kunonunura cruiser yakakuvadzwa "Pola", zvichiita kuti kuparadzwa kweDhipatimendi rose nevatatu vehondo yeMediterranean Fleet yaAdmiral Andrew Browne Cunningham. Zviito zvake mukati mehondo iyi zvave zvichinyanya kutsoropodzwa kubvira ipapo; zvisinei neizvi, Iachino haana kubviswa pakuva mutungamiri.