naval history of the civil war
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Naval History of the Civil War. Naval Strategy. North. South. Discredit Blockade Disrupt Northern Shipping Protect Key Territory. Isolate Divide Control Territory Protect Shipping. Resources. North. South. Weak Industrial Base Limited Maritime Experience ZERO ships. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Naval History of the American Civil War
Naval StrategyNorth
(Gideon Welles)
• Isolate• Divide• Control Territory• Protect Shipping
South(Stephen Mallory)
• Discredit Blockade• Disrupt Northern Shipping• Protect Key Territory
Resources
North
• Northeastern Nautical Tradition
• Shipyards• Industrial Base• Most Navy Officers did not
follow the Confederacy• Manpower• 40 ships
South• Weak Industrial Base• Limited Maritime
Experience• ZERO ships
Technology
• Sails• Steam Engines• Screw Propellers• Ironclad Ships• Torpedoes• Submarines
Blockade
• Cut off commerce of an opponent.• Field a credible Naval Force to interdict
shipping and enforce blockade.• Blockade can be broken and lifted if the
blockading ships can be driven off.• Declaring a blockade held serious political
implications for the North.
Blockade Running• Small fast boats to bring in vital supplies• Tendency was toward luxury items that bring a large market
value instead of strategic military stores• One or two successful trips could make a crew rich• Support from non-belligerent countries
Commerce Raiding
• Goal is to cripple an adversaries international trade and limit their peaceful use of the seas• Destroyed US merchant marine fleet and fishing fleets.
Effects linger to this day.
• Privateers – Letter of Marque• Commerce Raiders – Confederate Navy– Compact, frigate-sized warships built and armed
abroad due to a lack of Confederate industrial base.
Commerce Raider
River Wars
• Extensive system of Western Rivers facilitated internal trade in the Confederacy and provided avenues of advance to the Union.
• Forts vs Ships
River Gun Boat
The Two Navies
Union• Line of Battle Ships
– Frigates– Cruisers
• Gunboats• Ironclads• River craft• Much better cooperation
between the Navy and Army due to Grant’s relationships and successes.
Confederate• Commerce Raiders• Ironclads• Submarine
– CSS HUNLEY
KEY NAVAL BATTLES
FORT SUMTER
Forts Henry and Donelson
MONITOR/VIRGINIA (MERRIMACK)
New Orleans/Mobile Bay
USS KEARSARGE/ CSS ALABAMAsummary notes