Aerial mines in Royal Navy port-attack planning

Did the Royal Navy plan to use aerial mines against fleets in port?

Yes; aerial mines were available early, and a larger Taranto effort could have used either Swordfish or coordinated RAF bombers to mine the harbor approaches.

The Royal Navy treated aerial mines as part of its arsenal from the end of the First World War onward. A larger Taranto force could therefore have assigned some Swordfish to mining rather than bombs or torpedoes. RAF Wellingtons might also mine the harbor entrance after the raid to obstruct movement and recovery. That option ran into a practical coordination problem because the Navy already struggled to obtain timely RAF reconnaissance. Possessing the weapon did not guarantee that another service could deliver it where and when a naval plan required.