How Age-of-Sail blockades stayed supplied

Could sailing warships remain on station for long periods without resupply?

They could remain at sea, but required a steady flow of food, water, fuel, powder, and ammunition. Small Royal Navy vessels carried supplies, and blockading forces often bought provisions locally, including from French sources during the blockade of France.

Remaining on station was different from operating without supply. Gunnery practice consumed powder and ammunition, while crews also needed food, fresh water, and fuel for cooking. Brigs, cutters, and other small vessels moved those supplies between shore and the Royal Navy's blockading fleet. Local purchasing supplemented that traffic. Estimates mentioned here place French-sourced food at roughly one quarter to one third of British consumption during the blockade of France. British buyers could outbid local French consumers, raising prices and contributing to shortages. Later distant blockades avoided minefields and submarines, but they also reflected the difficulty of sustaining this older local supply system.