The flotilla could threaten British communications only while its machinery and support systems remained usable. Massawa had two floating dry docks and other facilities, yet those facilities themselves required fuel, components, and maintenance stocks. Moving major infrastructure into place had been easier than assembling the deeper supply system needed to operate it under wartime pressure. Once the route back to Italy was cut, missing stores could turn a repairable defect into months of inactivity and make nominal force strength misleading.
Chapter · 3:43-7:43
Massawa had facilities but not the stores to sustain them
The Red Sea base possessed floating dry docks and promising infrastructure, but lacked the spare parts, fuel, and stores needed for sustained combat.