Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - "Regia Marina" da Royal Navy sun shiga cikin gwagwarmaya na shekaru biyu da rabi don iko da Bahar Rum. Babban burin "Regia Marina" shi ne tallafawa sojojin Axis a Arewacin Afirka yayin da suke hana hanyar samar da kayayyaki zuwa Alexandria da kuma yanke kayayyaki zuwa Malta. Babban kokarin da Royal Navy ya yi shi ne don ci gaba da samar da kayan aiki ga sojojin soja da mutanen Malta, kuma a karo na biyu don hana jigilar jigilar kayayyaki zuwa Arewacin Afirka. Babban aikin farko ya faru ne a ranar 11 ga Nuwamba, 1940 lokacin da jirgin saman jirgin saman Burtaniya ya kaddamar da raƙuman ruwa guda biyu na Swordfish torpedo-bombs a cikin wani harin mamaki.
a kan jirgin ruwan Italiya da aka kafa a sansanin sojan ruwa na Taranto. Ba a gano harin ba, kuma an nutsar da jiragen ruwa guda uku. Wani babban rashin nasara ya faru a kan "Regia Marina" a Cape Matapan, inda Royal Navy da Royal Australian Navy suka kama da kuma hallaka uku masu nauyi (, da kuma; duk na wannan aji) da kuma biyu a cikin dare, tare da asarar fiye da 2,300 masu ruwa. Allies suna da Ultra intercepts, wanda ya gano ayyukan Italiyanci, da radar, wanda ya ba su damar gano jiragen ruwa da kuma makamai masu nisa a nesa da dare. Kyakkyawan ƙwarewar binciken iska na Rundunar Sojojin Ruwa na Royal Navy da kuma haɗin gwiwarsu tare da ƙungiyoyin ƙasa sune wasu manyan abubuwan da suka haifar da rikici na Italiya.