Why accounts disagree about swords at the Altmark boarding

Accounts disagree about whether the men who boarded Altmark carried swords. One proposed reconciliation distinguishes cruiser officers from the destroyer personnel who reinforced them. Imperial policing and ceremonial duties made swords a familiar part of cruiser service, giving those officers a reason to carry them on a boarding operation. Destroyer personnel were more likely, in this interpretation, to favour pistols or knuckledusters in confined spaces. A few cruiser officers carrying swords could therefore coexist with recollections from Cossack's men that they saw none. This remains a conjecture about the conflicting accounts, and the exact weapons carried are unresolved.