Aerosilurante doctrine and Royal Navy targets

Italian units began developing the SM.79 for aerosilurante use and building aerial-torpedo skills and doctrine in August 1940. SM.79 attacks sank the destroyers Fearless, Bedouin, Nestor, and Foresight, as well as smaller escorts and an anti-aircraft ship. The damaged list ranges from the County-class cruiser HMS Kent and Town-class cruisers Liverpool, Glasgow, and Manchester to HMS Phoebe and the battleship HMS Nelson. Liverpool's two separate torpedoings show that a repaired ship could return to the same threat environment and be hit again. Merchant shipping faced even heavier attention, making the Sparviero a persistent danger to fleet units and Mediterranean supply traffic.