The 1861 Pacific naval imbalance

How strong was the Royal Navy in the eastern Pacific compared with the United States in 1861?

Britain had a small but decisive local squadron, while the United States had no comparable Navy presence in the area.

Britain had six vessels in the eastern Pacific, including several steam frigates and smaller patrol ships. The United States had no comparable Navy presence there, only two treasury cutters. Even a small Royal Navy squadron therefore possessed a decisive local advantage at the start of the crisis. Washington would have to create and sustain a Pacific response while its main naval expansion supported the blockade and eastern campaigns. The comparison shows how a secondary theatre could become strategically awkward without Britain diverting a huge force from the Atlantic.