BLOCKADE RUNNERS

[Cmmdre]

Blockade runners were the fastest ships available, and often lightly armed and armored. Their operation was quite risky since blockading fleets would not hesitate to fire on them. However, the potential profits (economically or militarily) from a successful blockade run were tremendous, so blockade-runners typically had excellent crews. Although having modus operandi similar to that of smugglers, blockade-runners were often operated by state's navies as part of the regular fleet. Blockade runners have always been considered enemy combatants by the blockading party and have been fired upon or captured when detected.