The ship visible in a harbor is backed by a larger national capability. A sloop, cruiser, or frigate may be locally outgunned, but an opponent must calculate what the deployed vessel represents. That calculation includes fleets at home and in other theaters as well as the guns immediately at hand. Naval presence is credible when the deployed unit represents forces that could follow.
Notable Point · 18:19-18:37
A small warship represents the fleet behind it
The diplomatic weight of a sloop, cruiser, or frigate depends less on its isolated firepower than on the fleet and government it credibly represents.