Against three Japanese Myoko-class heavy cruisers, Folkestone added little conventional firepower to HMS Birmingham. Her presence nevertheless turned one arriving warship into a squadron and allowed the British ships to guard the detained merchant vessel from opposite sides. The pairing projected confidence rather than an attempt to match gun for gun: Britain presented the incident as a misunderstanding that would be resolved. Folkestone's local familiarity and visible position made interference harder, while Birmingham retained enough close-range power to make escalation dangerous for everyone in the harbor.
Chapter · 2:20:41-2:34:45
HMS Folkestone at the Singtao incident
A sloop accompanied HMS Birmingham to recover SS Vincent de Paul, adding presence and tactical flexibility without making the force look needlessly escalatory.