Back in 1864, when the USS Kearsarge found CSS Alabama in port reprovisioning at Cherbourg, France, US captain Winslow was careful not to enter the port, choosing instead to wait outside for captain Semmes to bring his ship out. Had he entered the bay, Semmes could have brought Alabama out first and escaped while Kearsarge was forced to wait the 24 hours required by law.
It was that incident that I think of whenever neutral ports are mentioned.
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“Never do anything you can't take back.”
—Rocky Russo
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