Fleet visits as calibrated deterrence

The fleet would remain concentrated and commissioned rather than immediately returning to routine peacetime duties. The scenario imagines an extended circuit of the British coast followed by a conspicuous visit to Antwerp or another Belgian or Dutch port. Such a voyage would display strength near the crisis area without the sharper provocation of appearing directly off Germany or Denmark. Battenberg's greater security in office also matters because he could present this policy more forcefully in cabinet instead of spending his time resisting Fisher and Beresford. Clarke suspects that Beresford supplied MPs with damaging information, based on his access and political connections, but explicitly acknowledges that he cannot prove it.