At the Second Battle of Sirte, Philip Vian's force included three Dido-class cruisers, the 6-inch cruiser Penelope, the converted AA cruiser Carlisle, and destroyers. They faced the battleship Littorio, heavy and light cruisers, and ten destroyers. Although the convoy did not ultimately reach its intended destination and later air attack inflicted losses, the surface action was no walkover. The screen damaged the battleship, avoided annihilation, and preserved the force through the gun battle. Holding off this stronger formation was exactly the task for which screening cruisers had been built.
Notable Point · 1:11:31-1:15:04
Screening success at the Second Battle of Sirte
Didos, a converted C-class AA cruiser, and destroyers prevented a much stronger Italian surface force from simply overrunning their convoy screen.