The raid's arithmetic did not end when Essex captured a British whaler. Each prize needed a crew, a route around hostile patrols, and a way through the blockade of the American coast. Those demands removed sailors from Porter while exposing weak merchant prizes to recapture over an enormous voyage. In this assessment, Essex was almost thrown away on an operation whose trophies were exceptionally difficult to convert into usable returns. The logistical problem anticipated the poor fate of nearly every vessel Porter claimed.
Notable Point · 34:28-35:13
Capturing a whaler was easier than getting the prize home
Porter's Pacific prizes still had to cross British-patrolled waters and penetrate the blockade of the United States before their value could benefit the American war effort.