It is the second week of June 1940 and Italian agents have reported the Battleship DUNKERQUE about to leave Toulon for North Africa.. Supermarina manages to get a reconnaissance search planned (and finds the ships the following afternoon) with four destroyers, TARTU, BOURRASQUE, TYPHON and ORAGE escorting it.
Not waiting, Supermarina orders the two CAVOUR class Battleships to sail with escorts to attack DUNKERQUE the afternoon they get the information.
As luck would have it, CESARE is unable to comply as she has two boilers disassembled for cleaning. Thus Adm Brivonesi takes CAVOUR, LUIGI CADORNA (for her FP fit) and the destroyers ALFIERI, CARDUCCI, GIOBERTI and ORIANI as escorts and heads out for the western Mediterranean.
The CAVOUR Task Force is southwest of Caglieri when the long rang air search reports the French ships, making long range contact with CADORNA’s floatplane about 2:45 in the afternoon.
The French are heading 195º at 18 knots and the Italians are heading 265º at 23 knots. The Italian TF is at 120º from the French and the range between Task Forces is 31,000 yards/meters. The French do not have a floatplane readied and are aware of the Italian floatplane, but have not sighted the Italian ships. Obviously the first move is Adm Brivonesi’s.
