The Battle of Skerki Bank was an engagement during the Second World War which took place near Skerki Bank in the Mediterranean Sea in the early hours of 2 December 1942. Force Q a flotilla of Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers attacked Convoy H, an Italian convoy and its escort of destroyers and torpedo boats. Force Q sank the four Italian merchant ships and one of the escorting destroyers in exchange for minor splinter damage. Force Q was attacked by torpedo bombers at 06:30 on 3 December, sinking the destroyer Quentin with one torpedo and damaging the destroyer Quiberon. The battle was the first and most significant success for Force Q. Background Force Q Soon after the beginning of Operation Torch, the Allied commanders began to make arrangements to intensify the offensive against the Axis supply route from Italy to Tunis and Bizerta in Tunisia. On 30 November, once Allied fighter cover could give sufficient protection, Force Q was based at Bône, a port on the north-east Algerian coast, not far from the Tunisian border. Force Q (Rear Admiral Cecil Harcourt) consisted of the light cruisers (flagship), and with the destroyers and . Convoy H Convoy H comprised the German transport KT-1 (850 gross register tons [GRT]), Aventino (3,794 GRT), Puccini (2,422 GRT) and the converted ferry Aspromonte (976 GRT). The ships were carrying reinforcements to Africa, which included 1,766 troops, of cargo (mainly ammunition), four tanks, 32 other vehicles and twelve artillery pieces. The escort was commanded by Captain Aldo Cocchia in the destroyer (flagship) with and , together with the torpedo boats and . Prelude On 1 December, Force Q sailed to attack Axis shipping on the convoy route from Trapani in Sicily to Tunis. Four convoys were at sea, comprising thirteen merchantmen escorted by seven destroyers and twelve torpedo boats. Three convoys were ordered to return after being spotted by British reconnaissance aircraft but Convoy H continued towards Tunis. The convoy was overflown by aircraft during the night of 1/2 December and flares marked the course of the ships; at 00:30 Force Q picked up the Italian ships on radar, north-east of Bizerta. Cocchia sent Procione ahead to sweep for mines. had emphasised the importance of the convoy keeping in close formation but realising that hostile ships were in the area, Cocchia ordered the convoy to make a 90° turn south south-east at 00:01. At 00:17 Cocchia