Competing French visions prevented a single coherent design philosophy from matching Britain's program. The Jeune École's faith in small craft is compared with War of 1812 American gunboats carried to launch sites by horse-drawn carriages and with later missile boats. Those early gunboats were repeatedly overwhelmed when they met frigates or ships of the line rather than exploiting a narrow raiding opportunity. Once a craft needs more weapons, air defense, anti-submarine awareness, speed, and range, it grows into a much larger and costlier vessel. Small platforms can remain effective for focused raids, but a stand-up fleet fight imposes demands that specialization alone cannot escape.
Chapter · 59:42-1:04:56
The Jeune École and the growth of small combatants
Small attack craft remain small only while their mission stays narrow; survivability, range, and defensive requirements steadily enlarge them.