When harbour geography undermines deterrence

A rocky bar and shallow water restricted where Alexandria's large ironclads could operate. Foreign warships lay in the western harbour, while the European quarter faced the eastern harbour across a maze of narrow streets. HMS Superb tried to enter the eastern basin while taking soundings, but the attempt helped convince Egyptians that an invasion was imminent. The geography left the demonstration close enough to irritate local politics and too distant to protect the people or places it was meant to secure.