Italian aircraft correctly identified "Ark Royal" at 08:10, and at 10:45 reported the convoy speed of , which indicated that merchant ships were with the convoy. The battleships from Naples rendezvoused with the cruisers from Taranto at 10:40, and were joined by the 8th cruiser division at 11:48. The Italian fleet was faster than the battleships of Force H, but was inferior to the British force in firepower. The "Regia Aeronautica" gave priority to fighter defence of bomber strikes, and the six fighters providing air cover over the Italian fleet could not travel more than from their base. Since Italian aircraft had reported only a single British battleship, the Italian fleet received authorization at noon to engage the British formation. The "Regia Aeronautica" was requested to provide increased air cover for the Italian fleet by 14:00.