On 26 March 1941, "Vittorio Veneto" departed port to attack British convoys to Greece. Germany pressured the Italian Navy to begin the operation, under the impression that they had disabled two of the three battleships assigned to the British Mediterranean Fleet. This resulted in the Battle of Cape Matapan the following day, during which "Vittorio Veneto" engaged British cruisers. She was then attacked by torpedo bombers from ; the first wave failed, but the second scored a single hit each on both "Vittorio Veneto" and the heavy cruiser . "Vittorio Veneto" shot down one aircraft, but the battleship was flooded with some of water, though she got underway after ten minutes and eventually reached Taranto on 29 March. Repairs lasted until July.