Operation Excess was a series of British supply convoys to Malta, Alexandria and Greece in January 1941. The operation encountered the first presence of Luftwaffe anti-shipping aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. All the convoyed freighters reached their destinations. The destroyer Gallant was disabled by Italian mines and Axis bombers severely damaged the cruiser Southampton and the aircraft carrier Illustrious. Background Italy's declaration of War on 10 June 1940 brought the Second World War to the Mediterranean Sea and placed the Regia Aeronautica astride the traditional British sea route to Indian Ocean ports, while the Regia Marina roughly tripled the numbers of battleships, cruisers and submarines available to challenge British sea power. The Royal Navy had held the eastern Mediterranean and France the western Mediterranean but the Second Armistice at Compiègne removed the French navy from the alliance on 25 June 1940. From bases at Gibraltar and Alexandria, the Royal Navy attempted to convoy supplies to Malta to maintain it as a base in the central Mediterranean. As Italy attacked Egypt from Libya in September 1940 and Greece from Albania in October 1940, the Royal Navy maintained most of their Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria while Force H at Gibraltar was used for raids. British successes in early November 1940 including halting the Italian offensive in Greece and disabling Italian battleships Littorio, Conte di Cavour and Duilio at the Battle of Taranto provided incentive and opportunity to supply Malta and Greece. Preparations Allied Convoy MC 4 consisted of four freighters at Gibraltar; Clan Cumming, Clan MacDonald and Empire Song carried materiel destined for Piraeus; Essex carried of seed potatoes, of ammunition and twelve crated Hawker Hurricanes for Malta. Convoy MW 5 consisted of the Freighters Breconshire and Clan Macaulay at Alexandria with cargo bound for Malta. Convoy ME 6 was made up of nine freighters waited at Malta for passage to Alexandria. Force A comprised , , , , , , , , and to sail from Alexandria, covering convoys MC 4, MW 5 and ME 6 east of the Skerki Banks. Force B of , , and would carry five hundred soldiers and airmen from the Aegean to Malta and join convoy MC 4 after dropping their passengers in Malta. Force C was to screen Convoy MW 5 with , and . Force D, and , was to sail from Alexandria with s Gloxinia, , , and the replenishment oiler Brambleleaf