Force H
Force H, under the command of Admiral James Somerville, accompanied the convoy as defence against Italian surface ships. Force H consisted of the battleships , and with the aircraft carrier operating 12 Fairey Swordfish and 27 Fairey Fulmars of 807 and 808 Naval Air Squadrons. Force H included cruisers , , , and , and was screened by destroyers HNLMS "Isaac Sweers", ORP "Garland" and , and , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Submarines and patrolled south of the Strait of Messina while and patrolled north of the Strait. The Polish submarine patrolled north of Sicily with and while the Dutch submarine patrolled south of Sardinia. Malta had recently received 27 long-range fighters (22 Bristol Beaufighters and 5 Bristol Blenheims), which had been bombing and strafing Italian airfields on Sicily and Sardinia, and would provide air cover for the convoy after Force H retired before reaching the Sicilian narrows.