Saphroneth
Lt. Colonel
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2017
Well, what I mean is that legally speaking a blockade only has force if it materially exists - it's illegal to just declare a port blockaded without stationing ships there. Admiral Milne gathered sufficient evidence in 1861 that the US blockade of the South did not materially exist for several ports, by stationing a ship there and making smoke (and not being noticed or inspected, thus proving there was no blockade there).And perhaps more importantly, insurance companies wouldn't cover down on shipping whose stated destination was a 'blockaded' port...and if said shipping ended up far away from her filed and insured course of travel, this voids the coverage. Hence, no more bulk carriers to the South.
The British declined to challenge the validity of the blockade, though they certainly could have.