His last escort mission resulted, on December 2, 1942, in the Battle of Skerki Bank: his convoy (composed of the transport ships "Aventino", "Aspromonte", "Puccini" and "KT 1"), escorted by three destroyers ("Da Recco", "Folgore" and "Camicia Nera") and two torpedo boats ("Procione" and "Clio"), was attacked during the night by the British Force Q, consisting of the light cruisers "Aurora", " Sirius" and "Argonaut" and the destroyers "Quiberon" and "Quentin". On Cocchia's orders, the entire escort launched a determined counterattack, but could not prevent the destruction of the convoy; "Da Recco", after two unsuccessful attacks with guns and torpedoes, closed in on Force Q to launch a third attack, but the accidental ignition of fuel oil contained in the forward funnel originated a column of sparks, that gave away the position of the ship. Accurate British fire immediately crippled "Da Recco", igniting her forward magazines; more than half of the crew was killed or wounded, including Cocchia, who suffered severe burns, especially on his face. Temporarily blinded, he had to give up the command to his executive officer; he was initially hospitalized at the hospital in Torrebianca (Trapani), and had to spend the next three years in a number of clinics, undergoing numerous surgery operations in an attempt to mitigate the damage caused by the fire. He was permanently disfigured; for his determined defense of the convoy against superior forces he was awarded Gold Medal of Military Valor.