Reading Taranto through damage and recovery

Hobbs's Naval Air Warfare in the Mediterranean, 1940-1945 follows the attack beyond the familiar strike narrative. Littorio, Conte di Cavour, and Caio Duilio suffered large torpedo holes, progressive flooding, counterflooding decisions, grounding, and lengthy repair work. Shallow water prevented the irretrievable losses that the same damage would cause at sea, but Cavour never returned to wartime service and the other ships remained unavailable for months. The Italian fleet then shifted surviving battleships north, changing the operational balance even without three permanent sinkings. The book's maps and detailed damage accounts show how tactical hits translated into theatre-level effects.