November can be considered as the most terrible period for axis convoys directed to Libya. Surely the supplies carried by the convoy would have been extremely useful to Rommel in facing his advancing enemies. Such units had the objective of threatening the axis supplies routes, in preparation for the upcoming Operation Crusader.
However, the Italians could not rely on sufficient numbers of dive bombers, so the standard level bombing proved ineffective. The presence of Force K led to a sharp decrease in the traffic between Italy and Libya, thus the Regia Marinna began to organize a large convoy protected by a powerful escort.
It was finally decided to send a convoy of 2 oil tankers and 5 merchant ships which carried Six destroyers formed the close escort while the heavy cruisers Trento, Trieste and four destroyers formed the indirect escort. The navy high command decided that the convoy had to follow the route east of Malta, this was a longer route than that the west one passing off the Tunisian coast but granted some advantages:.
The convoy began its navigation in the morning of the 7th November, the lead ship was the German merchant ship Duisburg thus identifying the whole convoy , accompanied by the oil tankers Minatitland and Conte di Misurata, plus the merchant ships San Marco, Maria, Sagitta and Rina Corrado. The destroyers Oriani, libeccio, Fulmine, Euro, Maestrale and Grecale formed the close escorts, followed at distance by the cruisers Trento, Trieste 3rd cruiser division and the destroyers Fuciliere, Granatiere, Alpino and Bersagliere.
However, in the afternoon of the 8th, a Malta-bases recognizance aircraft sighted the convoy and one hour after the sighting, the Force K was already leaving the Grand Harbour under the cover of darkness, making it impossible for the Italians to know where the British ships were. Decryptions of enemy communications also provided the British with the detailed information on the route followed by the convoy. During the navigation at night, Admiral Bruno Brivonesi, commanding the indirect escort, ordered his ships to navigate in circles around the convoy, given the low speed of the latter max 9 knots.
