At the west end of the Mediterranean three freighters, two for Malta and one for Alexandria were en route from Britain to Gibraltar, where two light cruisers, destroyers and corvettes were gathering to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet, which was busy protecting convoys from Port Said and Haifa to Cyprus and Piraeus, while the cruisers were transporting troops to the Aegean, under frequent attack by the Regia Aeronautica.

[2] The convoy was met off Gibraltar by Force B, the battlecruiser Renown, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the cruisers Despatch and Sheffield and the destroyers Faulknor, Firedrake, Forester, Fury, Encounter, Duncan, Wishart, Kelvin and Jaguar.

The cruiser Coventry with the destroyers Defender, Gallant, Greyhound, Griffin and Hereward sailed to rendezvous with the Collar convoy south of Sardinia.

The Mediterranean Fleet left Alexandria with the battleships Valiant, Warspite and the aircraft carrier Illustrious, the 7th Cruiser Squadron comprising Ajax, Orion and Sydney with destroyers to cover a raid on Suda Bay in Crete.

At midnight on 28 November, the convoy passed Cape Bon and set course to rendezvous with the Mediterranean Fleet (Admiral Andrew Cunningham) from Alexandria.