Royal Navy station ships offered successive diplomatic warnings

The historical example begins with a sloop or third-class cruiser conducting routine presence duties. A larger cruiser could then be sent, followed by the station flagship, potentially a larger cruiser or second-class battleship. Each change increased the weight of the warning and offered another opportunity for a diplomatic settlement. In this account, sending an entire fleet signaled an intention to bombard. The expense of assembling that force helped make the escalation clear to its recipient.