Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - "Vittorio Veneto" akadzokera kuNaples musi wa22 Kurume, uye mazuva mana gare gare akatungamirira kuedza kurwisa ngarava dzeBritain kubva kuGreece, mukambani ine ngarava dzinosvika masere nemapfumbamwe. Ngarava yaizotsigirwa ne "Regia Aeronautica" neGerman "Fliegerkorps X" (10th Air Corps). Iri basa rakaguma neHondo yeCape Matapan
Kurwisana kwacho kwakatanga apo Chikamu chechitatu cheItaly - chaiva nemakungwa maviri anorema uye chaitungamirirwa naVice Admiral Luigi Sansonetti - chakasangana neBritish 15th Cruiser Squadron. Iachino akaedza kutungamirira "Vittorio Veneto" kumabvazuva kwezvikepe zveBritain apo ivo vakanga vakatsauswa neSansonetti's cruisers, asi vakaona ngarava yehondo isati yavhara musungo. "Vittorio Veneto" pakarepo akazarura moto uye nokukurumidza akawana nzvimbo yacho, asi akangoita kukuvadzwa kwezvipenga pa"Orion", iyo yakaenda kumaodzanyemba, ichidzokera kunhumbi huru yeBritain. Kukundikana kupfura mu"Vittorio Veneto" shongwe yokumberi-mberi kwakamanikidzira kumbomira kupfura kwechinguvana. Zvisinei, vapfuri vokuItaly vakakurumidza kudzorera pfuti dzavo, uye vakatangazve kupfura mabhomba engarava dzeBritain. Kuonekwa kwakashata uye masikirini anopfungaira zvakatadzisa kunyatsoita kwevarwi ve"Vittorio Veneto" uye havana kuwana chero chinhu, kunyange zvazvo vakatasva makungwa kakawanda. Mukati meiyi nhambo yehondo, akanga apfura mapfuti 92 kubva mubhatiri rake guru.