Belfast's Normandy bombardment and rapid return

With Belfast as his flagship, Dalrymple-Hamilton brought the Tenth Cruiser Squadron into the Normandy bombardment. He interpreted naval gunfire support as a task for every usable weapon, assigning both 6-inch and 4-inch guns whenever their ranges and targets permitted. The volume of fire was high enough for the squadron to consider replacing worn barrels. Dalrymple-Hamilton instead favoured replenishing and returning to sea quickly. The same operational temperament shaped the response to German Schnellboot threats: raise anchor, use smoke, engage, and let screening vessels deal with the attack without abandoning the bombardment mission.