Did HMS Belfast use her 6-inch guns to fire star shells at the Battle of North Cape?
Short answerThe on-air recollection assigns the star-shell illumination to the 4-inch secondary guns rather than the 6-inch main battery.
NotesThe question proposes using a fifteen-gun broadside of 6-inch star shells from an enlarged Belfast. The on-air recollection assigns the historical illumination work at North Cape to the ship's 4-inch guns. That left the 6-inch main battery available for its primary engagement role. The distinction shows how secondary batteries could support night fighting without interrupting the cruiser's main gunnery task.