But the Navy is different; its main body is not the officers and men, but the warships, with the army being merely the soul of the warships. Once an admiral or ship captain of a naval fleet orders to lower the commander's flag, it is not the individual who surrenders, but the warship, or even the entire fleet.
In the vast majority of cases, a fleet's surrender signifies the entire nation's submission, and once a nation's backbone is bent, it is difficult to straighten again.
The primary attribute of a navy is being a symbol of a great power.
The navy serves not a regime or a king, but a nation. Even during regime changes, the navy is often the most stable force, pledging loyalty to the victor because they serve the nation itself.
So when a navy surrenders, it is not just about personal or military honor; it often determines a country's international status, national fate, and even the rise and fall of an entire nation.
