In December 1940, "Norfolk" was ordered to the South Atlantic on trade protection duties. Operating out of Freetown as part of Force K she participated in the hunt for "Admiral Scheer." In January 1941 the Norfolk, under the command of Capt. Phillips, attempted a failed mission to neutralize the German auxiliary cruiser . In February, she escorted Atlantic troop convoys, but by May she had returned to Icelandic waters. "Norfolk" was the second ship to sight the German battleship . She and her near sister—from the earlier County-class— continued to trail the German battleship; the cruisers later joined the battleships and as part of the force that finally sank "Bismarck". From September onward, she was employed as an escort for the arduous Arctic Convoys. During this period, her sister "Dorsetshire" had been bombed and sunk by Japanese torpedo and dive bombers in the Pacific Theatre as part of the Eastern Fleet's attempts to dodge Japanese advances on Ceylon. "Norfolk" was part of the cruiser covering force of Convoy JW 55B when it engaged "Scharnhorst", on 26 December 1943. She scored three hits on the German ship, and received several 11-in shell hits (all passing through the thin-skinned ship without exploding) in return, before she withdrew; "Scharnhorst" was later caught and sunk by the battleship and her escorting cruisers and destroyers.