After the first minutes of combat against the British convoy BN 7, Francesco Nullo manoeuvred so as to attack again the convoy before following the destroyer Pantera toward Massawa, but Nullo's rudder jammed for several minutes, and the two ships lost contact with each other. Borsini, chased by the incoming British warships, decided to approach the Italian batteries on Harmil island, hoping that they could hit the attacking enemy vessels.[2][3]