By the use of the radar, the British force ambushed the Axis convoy in the dark. As the convoy passed a buoy marking sandbanks, the British opened fire at and closed to as near as . Three of the Axis transports were sunk, and the other two beached on the sandbar and became a total loss. "Lampo" was run aground and later salvaged, while "Baleno" sank in shallow waters. The flotilla commander, Commander de Cristofaro, on board "Tarigo", had his leg shot off and later died of his wounds; he was posthumously awarded the "Medaglia d'Oro" (the highest Italian military decoration). While listing to port and sinking, "Tarigo" (now under the command of the only surviving officer, Ensign Ettore Bisagno) launched two torpedoes that hit HMS "Mohawk"; HMS "Jervis" subsequently scuttled "Mohawk", which sank to the sandy bottom at a depth of . The outcome of the battle marked the end of the relatively unopposed Axis transport to Libya, which they had enjoyed since June 1940.