Back in January, Britian had devised a plan that would have prevented the HMS Cornwall's sailors from being shanghai'd, but the plan wasn't implement soon enough. That plan was to cut the size of the Royal Navy in half. Those ships scheduled to become razor blades would have included the HMS Cornwall
Right now, besides support ships, they have 2 small carriers, 25 destroyers and frigates, and 13 submarines. However, if you don't have a Navy, you can never get your sailors kidnapped and they can't be paraded on Iranian TV.
While Tony Blair has been a solid ally of the US, he has systematically been dismantling his armed forces. A oft-heard opinion in Britian is "well who is going to invade Britian?" No one is going to be landing troops in Southhampton, but the British are losing their ability to project power. A third world despot could blow a bomb in London, take credit for it, and not fear an invasion.
The British are a long way from the days of the Horatio Nelson. Here are some quotes of his, which are as applicable today as they were then:
Never break the neutrality of a port or place, but never consider as neutral any place from whence an attack is allowed to be made. This is Iran right now. They are causing all sorts of problems in Iraq, yet they are not recognized as an enemy. That is the formula for failure. It was in Korea and Vietnam.
Our country will, I believe, sooner forgive an officer for attacking an enemy than for letting it alone. - This is the attitude the CO of the Cornwall should have taken. Whilst it was against the British's "Rules of Engagement", sometimes the rules must be broken.
If a man consults whether he is to fight, when he has the power in his own hands, it is certain that his opinion is against fighting.
Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.
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