"Vittorio Veneto" and "Littorio" participated in an unsuccessful sortie to intercept British forces on 22–25 August. The British had intended to mine Livorno and launch an air raid on northern Sardinia, but Italian agents in Spain warned the "Regia Marina" of the British operation when it departed Gibraltar. The Italian fleet positioned itself too far to the south, however, and aerial reconnaissance failed to locate the British. A month later, "Vittorio Veneto" led the attack on the Allied convoy in Operation Halberd on 27 September 1941, in company with "Littorio", five cruisers, and fourteen destroyers. The British had hoped to lure out the Italian fleet and attack it with a powerful convoy escort centered on the battleships , , and . It too ended without contact with the British fleet; neither side located the other, but Italian torpedo bombers hit "Nelson". At 14:00, Iachino cancelled the operation and ordered the fleet to return to port.