Blockade places cruisers inside a larger theory of economic warfare. The Union's Anaconda Plan exploited Confederate failures in transport, industry, and naval preparation, while Britain repeatedly found it easier to restrict Napoleonic coastal trade than Napoleon found it to close British trade. Cruising forces make those strategies work by patrolling, intercepting, and enforcing pressure over wide areas. Individual cruiser requirements follow from this strategic purpose of trade interdiction.
Notable Point · 27:16-28:50
Blockade turns cruising into economic warfare
The Anaconda Plan and Britain's pressure on Napoleonic coastal trade show cruising forces strangling an enemy economy rather than seeking a fleet battle.