Following the battle of Crete in the summer of 1941 , the Royal Navy got the better of things in the central Mediterranean in a series of successful convoy attacks , ( such as the Duisburg convoy and the Battle of Cape Bon ) until the events around the First Battle of Sirte and the Raid on Alexandria in December swung the balance of power in the Axis favor . Following the battle of Crete in the summer of 1941 , the Royal Navy regained its ascendancy in the central Mediterranean in a series of successful convoy attacks , ( Duisburg convoy , Cap Bon ) until the events surrounding the First Battle of Sirte and the Raid on Alexandria in December swung the balance of power in the Axis favor .