A lone raider cannot safely challenge a recurring three-ship squadron, while assembling enough vessels to do so requires more resources and exposes a larger organization. Recurring patrols therefore create deterrence even when they never fight a major engagement. The North Sea provides the example: endemic Germanic piracy appears after the Classis Britannica vanishes. Rome then has to pay for a new fleet once raiding damages the economies of Britain and the continental coast.
Notable Point · 48:57-50:20
Small patrol squadrons change a pirate's calculation
Even a three-ship Roman patrol creates a force threshold that makes organized piracy harder and more conspicuous.