Blackout and night visibility at Taranto

Was the Gulf of Taranto completely blacked out during the raid?

Probably not completely. Some air-defence restrictions were in place, and the city was naturally much darker than modern Taranto.

Some form of air-defence lighting discipline appears to have been in use around the Gulf of Taranto, but a complete blackout is uncertain. The 1940 city also produced much less ambient light than modern Taranto because the surrounding region was less developed. The exchange describes a night target that was naturally darker than its modern equivalent without assuming perfect blackout conditions.