NAVAL WAR COLLEGE NEWPORT PAPERS 40 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE WAR NAVAL Commerce Raiding Historical Case Studies, 1755–2009 NEWPORT PAPERS NEWPORT Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine, Editors Form Approved Report Documentation Page OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. 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Legal Status and Use of Seals and Logos The logo of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Newport, Rhode Island, authenticates Commerce Raiding: Historical Case Studies, 1755–2009, edited by Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine, as an official publica tion of the College. It is prohibited to use NWC’s logo on any republication of this book without the express, written permission of the Editor, Naval War College Press, or the editor’s designee. For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-00001 ISBN 978-1-935352-07-5; e-book ISBN 978-1-935352-08-2 Commerce Raiding Historical Case Studies, 1755–2009 Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine, Editors NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS Newport, Rhode Island meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd September 25, 2013 8:50 AM To Willard C. Frank, Jr., scholar and colleague Naval War College The Newport Papers are extended research projects that Newport, Rhode Island the Director, the Dean of Naval Warfare Studies, and the Center for Naval Warfare Studies President of the Naval War College consider of particular Newport Paper Forty interest to policy makers, scholars, and analysts. October 2013 The views expressed in the Newport Papers are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of President, Naval War College the Naval War College or the Department of the Navy. Rear Adm. Walter E. Carter, Jr., USN Correspondence concerning the Newport Papers may be Provost addressed to the Director of the Naval War College Press. Amb. Mary Ann Peters To request additional copies, back copies, or subscriptions Dean of Naval Warfare Studies to the series, please either write the President (Code 32S), Robert C. Rubel Naval War College, 686 Cushing Road, Newport, RI 02841-1207, or contact the Press staff at the telephone, fax, Naval War College Press or e-mail addresses given. Director: Dr. Carnes Lord Reproduction and printing are subject to the Copyright Managing Editor: Pelham G. Boyer Act of 1976 and applicable treaties of the United States. This document may be freely reproduced for academic or Telephone: 401.841.2236 other noncommercial use; however, it is requested that Fax: 401.841.1071 reproductions credit the author and Newport Papers series DSN exchange: 841 and that the Press editorial office be informed. To obtain E-mail: [email protected] permission to reproduce this publication for commercial Web: www.usnwc.edu/press purposes, contact the Press editorial office. Twitter: http://twitter.com/NavalWarCollege ISSN 1544-6824 Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-935352-07-5 e-book ISBN 978-1-935352-08-2 meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd September 30, 2013 4:26 PM Contents Acknowledgments vii Foreword, by John B. Hattendorf ix Introduction, by Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine 1 CHAPTER ONE The Breakdown of Borders: Commerce Raiding during the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763 9 by Thomas M. Truxes CHAPTER TWO Guerre de Course and the First American Naval Strategy 27 by Christopher P. Magra CHAPTER THREE French Privateering during the French Wars, 1793–1815 41 by Silvia Marzagalli CHAPTER FOUR Waging Protracted Naval War: U.S. Navy Commerce Raiding during the War of 1812 57 by Kevin D. McCranie CHAPTER FIVE CSS Alabama and Confederate Commerce Raiders during the U.S. Civil War 73 by Spencer C. Tucker CHAPTER SIX Two Sides of the Same Coin: German and French Maritime Strategies in the Late Nineteenth Century 89 by David H. Olivier CHAPTER SEVEN Missed Opportunities in the First Sino- Japanese War, 1894–1895 105 by S. C. M. Paine meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd September 25, 2013 8:50 AM iv the newport papers CHAPTER EIGHT Chinese Neutrality and Russian Commerce Raiding during the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905 121 by Bruce A. Elleman CHAPTER NINE “Handelskrieg mit U-Booten”: The German Submarine Offensive in World War I 135 by Paul G. Halpern CHAPTER TEN The Anglo-American Naval Checkmate of Germany’s Guerre de Course, 1917–1918 151 by Kenneth J. Hagan and Michael T. McMaster CHAPTER ELEVEN Logistic Supply and Commerce War in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 165 by Willard C. Frank, Jr. CHAPTER TWELVE The German U-boat Campaign in World War II 187 by Werner Rahn CHAPTER THIRTEEN The Shipping of Southeast Asian Resources Back to Japan: National Logistics and War Strategy 209 by Ken-ichi Arakawa CHAPTER FOURTEEN Unrestricted Submarine Victory: The U.S. Submarine Campaign against Japan 225 by Joel Holwitt CHAPTER FIFTEEN Guerre de Course in the Charter Era: The Tanker War, 1980–1988 239 by George K. Walker CHAPTER SIXTEEN Twenty-First-Century High-Seas Piracy off Somalia 253 by Martin N. Murphy meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd September 25, 2013 8:50 AM commerce raiding v Conclusion: Guerre de Course in the Modern Age 271 by Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine Selected Bibliography 291 About the Contributors 305 Index 311 The Newport Papers 339 meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd October 2, 2013 4:04 PM Acknowledgments The editors would like to thank our contributors and the many others who shared their insights and expertise. At the Naval War College, we benefited from the support of Mary Ann Peters, John Garofano, John B. Hattendorf, Robert “Barney” Rubel, John Maurer, and Peter Dombrowski. We owe a considerable debt to Alice Juda and Wayne Rowe for library assistance. We are especially indebted to Andrew Marshall of the Of- fice of Net Assessment for his ongoing support for this project. On behalf of our contributors, we would like to thank Michael Crawford, John B. Hattendorf, Joshua Smith, Carl Swanson, and Michael A. Palmer for their critical feed- back on previous drafts of Chris Magra’s essay. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the U.S. government, the U.S. Navy Department, or the Naval War College. meyers$:___WIPfrom C 032812:_Newport Papers:_NP_40 Commerce:_InDesign:01 NP_40 Commerce-FrontMatter.indd September 25, 2013 8:50 AM Foreword For centuries, attacks on maritime commerce have been consistent features of war at sea. At the same time, a fundamental raison d’être of navies has been the protection of maritime trade against such attacks. From ancient times, piracy has been an issue at sea, and a long tradition of private men-of-war lasted into the mid-nineteenth century. After 1690, the French navy put into practice a concept of guerre de course as an alterna- tive to fleet battle, or guerre d’escadre, as a means of dealing with the superior power of Britain’s Royal Navy.