If a battleship is attacking two VHF's in New York, they will soon have the San Francisco to talk to.
They come to NY for one reason: They want a fight. If they didn't want a fight they would sit in their guard system all day... which would be boring as hell.
To respond to an enemy battleship, don't bring out a fleet of bombers, that generates bad feelings for the cap owner, who will get no kills at all, and won't help the cap pilot at all.
Respond with another battleship, let them have a fun battle, let them have a chance. If they understand how much more fun it is to fight battleships then it is to fight VHF's, perhaps they'll stop doing so.
Battleships are built to fight battleships. Why don't we try and do so more?