"Vittorio Veneto" returned to Naples on 22 March, and four days later led an attempt to attack British shipping off Greece, in company with eight cruisers and nine destroyers. The fleet would be supported by the "Regia Aeronautica" and the German "Fliegerkorps X" (10th Air Corps). This operation resulted in the Battle of Cape Matapan; the engagement began when the Italian 3rd Division—comprising the two heavy cruisers and and commanded by Vice Admiral Luigi Sansonetti—encountered the British 15th Cruiser Squadron. Iachino attempted to maneuver "Vittorio Veneto" to the east of the British cruisers while they were distracted with Sansonetti's cruisers, but spotted the battleship before she could close the trap. "Vittorio Veneto" immediately opened fire and quickly found the range, but only inflicted splinter damage on "Orion", which fled to the south, back toward the main British fleet. Misfires in "Vittorio Veneto"s forward-most turret forced her to cease firing temporarily. The Italian gunners quickly returned the guns to action, however, and resumed their bombardment of the British cruisers. Poor visibility and smokescreens hampered the accuracy of "Vittorio Veneto"s gunners and they scored no hits, though they straddled the cruisers several times. In the course of this phase of the battle, she had fired 92 rounds from her main battery.