Searchlights could solve the immediate identification problem but also exposed the user. The alternative was to use starshell, or even a barrage of high-explosive shells, to mark and illuminate the target. This approach could damage equipment, drive crews from open positions, and give other ships a visible point for guns or torpedoes. Tribal-class destroyers could thus make their rapid-firing 4.7-inch guns serve both a destructive and a target-marking role against more heavily armoured ships.
Notable Point · 53:31-55:15
Illumination without becoming the target
Destroyers used starshell and rapid gunfire to reveal an enemy, disrupt exposed crews, and cue heavier ships or torpedo attacks.