Conte di Cavour was damaged beyond economical repair, while Littorio and Caio Duilio were repairable but unavailable for months. The strike therefore removed half of Italy's six battleships from immediate operations. Damage to the seaplane facilities also reduced the Regia Marina's ability to find British forces. Because Ark Royal had attacked other regional seaplane infrastructure, rebuilding reconnaissance capacity became a wider operational requirement.
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Damage to battleships and reconnaissance
The attack removed three battleships from immediate service and heavily damaged the seaplane facilities supporting Italian reconnaissance.