Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mavis Batey discovered a sailing order for an entire Italian battle fleet comprising one battleship, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and destroyers. The message began with the phrase Today's the day minus three which revealed the departure date of the fleet.
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham made a surreptitious exit from a golf club in Alexandria on the evening of the 27th of March 1941 to avoid being seen boarding his flagship. He created a false impression by spending time on the golf course within sight of the Japanese consul while a planned party on his flagship was cancelled.
A Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber flown by Lieutenant-Commander John Dalyell-Stead hit the outer port propeller of the Vittorio Veneto at 09:38 on the 28th of March 1941. The impact caused flooding of approximately 600 tons inside the battleship but resulted in the death of Dalyell-Stead and his crew when their aircraft was shot down.
Radar allowed British ships like Orion to detect Italian vessels six miles away at 20:15 without being seen themselves since the Italian ships lacked radar equipment. This technological advantage enabled Battleships Barham, Valiant, and Warspite to close to point-blank range and destroy cruisers Fiume and Zara before dawn.
Italian losses reached up to 2,303 sailors most of whom came from the crews of the heavy cruisers Zara and Fiume. The Allies rescued 1,015 survivors while an Italian hospital ship named Gradisca later recovered remaining men after Allied ships ceased rescue efforts due to air strike risks.