Naval blockade is the use of naval forces to seal an enemy's ports and coastline, cutting off trade, supply and reinforcement so as to strangle its war-making capacity without engaging its army directly. The tactic is ancient, used in conflicts including the Peloponnesian War, but one of its most extensively documented executions is the Union's blockade of the Confederacy in the American Civil War from 1861, known as the Anaconda Plan, which combined with land operations to cut the Confederacy off from overseas trade over the following four years. Naval blockade was also central to twentieth-century conflicts, including the Allied blockade of Germany in the First World War and the German U-boat campaign against Allied shipping. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ClaimUse naval forces to seal an enemy's ports and coastline, cutting off trade, supply and reinforcement, so as to strangle its war-making capacity without engaging its army directly. 1 Classification
Domain (Land, Sea, Air, Cyber) Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Blockade
Source Wikipedia: Blockade
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Blockade
WikipediaLead section
A blockade is the use of military force to prevent food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, entering or leaving a country or region.
Domain attribute (naval-blockade)
Naval blockade is the use of naval forces to seal an enemy's ports and coastline, cutting off trade, supply and reinforcement so as to strangle its war-making capacity without engaging its army directly.
Associated With: American Civil War, History section
The Union blockade of southern ports was a major factor in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865.
Associated With: Alfred Thayer Mahan, History section
Naval strategic thinkers, such as Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922) and Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914), wrote that naval conflicts were won primarily by decisive battles, but also by blockade.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Anaconda Plan?
The popular name for the Union's 1861 naval blockade of the Confederacy, sealing its ports to cut off trade and supply.
The Anaconda Plan was the popular name for the Union's naval blockade of the Confederacy in the American Civil War, beginning in 1861: sealing Confederate ports to cut off trade, supply and reinforcement rather than engaging the Confederate army directly. The Union blockade was a major factor in the war's outcome over the following four years.
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