The Franco-Prussian War and the limits of blockade

The nominally superior French fleet struggled to sustain an effective blockade of the North German coast. Reservists, coal shortages, maintenance, defended ports, and Britain's interest in trade all limited what the force could achieve. Prussian blockade runners could exploit French fuel limits or use British merchant flags to complicate interception. These frustrations helped make large ships look futile to later Jeune École advocates, even though the German navy was not actually conducting a pure Jeune École campaign.