On 9 July Force H, with "Nelson", "Rodney" and the carrier , rendezvoused in the Gulf of Sirte with the battleships , and the carrier coming from Alexandria, Egypt to form the covering force for the invasion. The following day, they began patrolling in the Ionian Sea to deter any attempt by the to interfere with the landings in Sicily. On 31 August, "Nelson" and "Rodney" bombarded coastal artillery positions between Reggio Calabria and Pessaro in preparation for Operation Baytown, the amphibious invasion of Calabria, Italy. The sisters covered the amphibious landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche) on 9 September with "Nelson" using her main guns in "barrage" mode to deter attacking German torpedo bombers. The Italian armistice was signed between General Dwight Eisenhower and Marshal Pietro Badoglio aboard the ship on 29 September.