A cruiser success reveals Far Eastern weakness

Finding Asama Maru far from British bases demonstrated the reach and economic-warfare value of a modern cruiser. Yet Liverpool was by then the only Town-class cruiser left in the Far East, while County-class cruisers had also been drawn toward the Atlantic and Mediterranean wars. The operation thus advertised British capability at the same moment that the regional force supporting that capability was shrinking. Its location near Japanese territorial waters also left an unresolved question about how far Liverpool would have pursued the interception had the liner been one hour closer to safety.