British light cruisers used flashless propellant developed for night fighting, while Norfolk retained older powder with more visible flashes. Flashless means a smaller flash, rather than none. A County-class cruiser was longer than an R-class battleship and shared the arrangement of four twin turrets. These features could confuse observers in an Arctic storm. Participants disagree about how much silhouette was visible while agreeing that conditions hindered identification.
Notable Point · 2:32:11-2:34:21
Gun flashes and mistaken identification at North Cape
Propellant, turret layout and Arctic visibility help explain how a cruiser could be mistaken for a battleship.