Trawlers misidentified under searchlights

The Russian repair ship Kamchatka first mistook a passing Swedish vessel for a torpedo boat and signaled that it was under attack. Officers later misunderstood the Hull trawlers' lights, apparently because they did not know the signals used by working fishing vessels. An ambushing torpedo boat would hardly advertise itself by flashing lights in the dark, which should have made the identification doubtful. Russian searchlights then illuminated the trawlers before the fleet opened fire. Even under direct illumination, the crews failed to distinguish fishing gear, crane booms, nets, and hull features from those of a warship. The sequence exposes failures in signaling knowledge, observation, and target identification that exceeded ordinary nighttime uncertainty.