Stewart describes honour and an oath to allies as part of the glue holding a coalition together, sometimes worth more than an obsolete carrier. Clarke invokes Cunningham's decision to risk Royal Navy ships while evacuating the British Army from Crete as the historical form of that bargain. A fictional prince makes the strategically correct choice to withdraw, return with reinforcements, and win, yet the abandoned army never trusts him again. Preserving combat power can still be a strategic failure when it destroys inter-service confidence or alliance credibility.
Notable Point · 44:31-48:22
Alliance trust can be worth more than preserved warships
A navy may rationally risk ships to preserve an ally's faith, because abandoned partners can withhold cooperation long after a tactically sensible retreat.