Why Tribal destroyers guarded carriers

HMS Nubian and Mohawk joined the cruiser force in the Strait of Otranto rather than staying beside Illustrious. Tribal-class destroyers were ordinarily considered carrier bodyguards, expected to prevent any surface attacker from reaching the flight deck at almost any cost. Detaching them therefore signalled Cunningham's judgment that the offensive cruiser mission was unusually important. The passage illustrates how fleet commanders reallocated scarce escorts between close protection and actions intended to shape the larger battle.