AP Photo

In times of crisis, there is no more reassuring sight than a Royal Navy warship hoving into view. In Victorian times, gunboat diplomacy was regularly employed to protect British citizens from the evil designs of foreign potentates, or to persuade hostile governments to think twice before taking on the might of the British Empire. More recently, the Navy's contribution was vital to the success of the Falklands campaign, while British warships have seen active service in many of the world's major conflict zones, from the Gulf to Sierra Leone.

So the arrival of HMS Albion at the northern Spanish port of Santander this week, to rescue hundreds of stranded Service personnel and tourists, serves as timely reminder of how important it is for this island nation to have a...