Liverpool was launched at Fairfield by Priscilla Norman, wife of Bank of England governor Montagu Norman, a pairing used to connect finance with naval power. As other British ships moved toward Europe and the Mediterranean, Liverpool went east. Near Tokyo Bay she stopped the Japanese liner Asama Maru, jammed its radio, and removed German nationals trying to return home. The incident caused a diplomatic and legal dispute and showed the Japanese navy that Britain could still police maritime movement in the region. By January 1941, the Royal Navy no longer had a cruiser of enough status available for similar signalling; by year's end, the two battleships of Force Z deployed without air cover or adequate cruiser and destroyer strength.
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HMS Liverpool and the Asama Maru incident
HMS Liverpool intercepts Asama Maru near Japan, demonstrating how a modern cruiser could enforce blockade policy and signal British naval power.