Yarmouth offered facilities for forming and sustaining a fleet while still leaving diplomacy possible. The projected combined Russian, Danish, and Swedish strength made the Danish problem urgent: Britain preferred to confront a smaller force before it had to blockade the Danish straits against a far larger fleet. The upper estimate of 123 allied ships of the line would have demanded a containment force comparable to Britain's blockade of France. Denmark became the first target because of geography, force concentration, and season, rather than a desire for a general Scandinavian war.
Chapter · 51:52-57:09
Yarmouth, Baltic ice, and Britain's timetable
Britain assembled the Baltic fleet at Yarmouth because it needed to act before ice released Russian forces and a larger coalition could form.