The fleet operation surrounding the Taranto strike

The memoir lists Illustrious with Warspite, Malaya, Valiant, Ramillies, cruisers, and three destroyer groups, but the formation repeatedly grew and shrank as ships detached for convoy and reinforcement duties. Ramillies and destroyers covered a convoy from Alexandria, while other ships landed troops at Malta before rejoining. Illustrious remained between Malta and Crete to cover dispersed forces against Italian surface ships and to provide the limited fighter umbrella available. Fulmars intercepted reconnaissance aircraft and SM.79 bombers, while Malta itself relied on only a handful of Gladiators and continued offensive Swordfish operations against Axis supply routes. Taranto was embedded in a wider fleet, convoy, and island-defence system rather than isolated as a single carrier raid.