Interdicting Shipping
Before declaring war on Britain, the United States made extensive preparations. First, the United States Navy United States Navy just leased two warships from the France: the super cruisers Free Trade and HMS Common Market. These two ships were, at least, the most powerful super cruisers in the world until the Hermes- class super cruisers were commissioned on the France slipways.
Moreover, when the United States chartered these two ships, they chartered not only the ships themselves, but also the personnel who would operate and control them. In other words, apart from changing the flag, giving each France crew member a few new sets of clothes, and sending a few United States representatives to each ship, these ships were practically still France vessels.
The United States did this before they went to war with the Britain, but at that time, United States newspapers were already accusing the Britain of helping Native Americans attack peaceful United States citizens and undermining their efforts to obtain high-quality materials for making boots through their own labor, in accordance with God's will.
At this time, the United States' purpose in "leasing" France warships in this way was self-evident. The France naturally understood what the United States meant. However, after careful consideration, Napoleon still approved the deal.
"The Britain are currently our enemy, so any trouble they cause is a good thing. Of course, the United States aren't any better. In the world, if there's any country that can rival Britain in its despicable, shameless, insidious, Britain ruthless nature, it's definitely the United States! We can't allow it to actually annex Canada. That would be a huge threat to Louisiana. Just like any sheep that dares to grow horns is a threat and provocation to the lion. So you see, in religious symbolism, the hornless lamb is holy, something everyone should emulate and learn from, while the one that grows horns? You know Lucifer had goat horns..."
"Alright, Napoleon, don't go astray," Joseph said. "Although your analogy is very interesting, well, who said the analogy of the lamb and the goat?"
"Couldn't it be me?" Napoleon asked.
"This sour tone isn't like you," Joseph said.
"Ah, well, that analogy was used by Talleyrand. After all, he was a bishop, and when it comes to criticizing the church, no one is better than him," Napoleon said.
"The United States will soon declare war on the Britain, and then they will use these two ships to disrupt the shipping lanes between Britain and Canada. We can cooperate by holding some kind of military exercise, claiming it's for maintaining world peace and free trade. This will tie down the Britain navy, preventing Britain from sending supplies and reinforcements to North America," Napoleon added.
"Then what about Canada?" Lucien asked. "We can't really just give Canada to the United States, can we?"
Napoleon smiled but said nothing.
"You even need to ask such a question?" Joseph said dismissively. "The Britain can't send weapons, ammunition, and personnel to Canada, so why can't we? Canada borders Louisiana!"
"Ah, I see!" Lucien exclaimed, suddenly enlightened. "We sell weapons to the Canada, and when Canada can't hold on any longer, we can have Canada hire mercenaries in Louisiana, then burn the United States presidential palace down. Then the Canada army will be wiped out, and United States will be crippled. Canada will be ours, won't it? Not to mention all the French-speaking people in Quebec. Napoleon, Joseph, is that what you mean? You're so wicked, hahaha, but good riddance, good riddance! Hahaha..."
The Britain were just as aware of what the France leasing those two warships to the United States meant. Therefore, the Britain Foreign Office immediately summoned the France ambassador and lodged a strong protest, accusing France undermining regional peace. Of course, the Britain knew the France wouldn't heed their protest, but the process still had to be followed.
As per procedure, France naturally stated that this was entirely an internal affair of France and the United States, and that the relevant transactions were in full compliance with international practice, and that the Britain had no right to interfere.
An unnamed Britain official suggested to a newspaper that if war broke out between Britain and the United States and these two ships were involved, their crews, once captured, Britain be considered pirates and hanged from the masts.
When France media outlets mentioned this report to Lucien and asked him how France would react if such a thing happened, Lucien replied without hesitation, "If they have the guts, they can try."
Regarding the same issue, Foreign Minister Talleyrand stated. "We want to be friends with Britain, we want to be partners with Britain, but if Britain regards France as a 'hostile country,' then Britain will bear all the consequences."
The two warships had just arrived in the United States and filled up with coal and fresh water in Boston Harbor when war broke out less than a week later.
The two warships flying the United States flag immediately left Boston, joined the United States fleet, and headed together to Halifax, Canada.
Halifax is Canada's largest naval port, where the Britain stationed a detachment of Britain fleet.
After the advent of the steam power era, the Britain made slight modifications to three old sailing battleships, installing steam engines and adding iron armor, and then sent them to Canada.
When considering North America, the primary hypothetical enemy was the United States, followed by the France. The United States suffered heavy losses in previous conflicts with the France, and although the France later returned captured United States, the United States seemed to have lost confidence in building a powerful navy. Their navy saw limited progress thereafter, mainly involving adding steam power to their existing supercruisers. Because the hull shape was better suited for high-speed navigation, these converted ships were still faster than the Britain converted battleships, and their lack of ironclad armor also increased their speed.
According to the United States plan, the fleet would first approach Halifax to see if they could capture and destroy the British Navy squadron in Canada, and then continue north to blockade the Saint Lawrence Sea and intercept ships sailing from Britain to Canada.
After the United States declared war on Britain, the Britain squadron immediately left Halifax. Although this squadron possessed three "battleships," battleships of the sailing era were utterly ineffective against armored cruisers of the steam era. Therefore, while the Britain emphasized fighting the enemy at all costs, they would avoid battles they knew they couldn't win if possible.
The Britain plan was this: the North American Squadron alone was insufficient to counter the American forces, which possessed two France supercruisers. Therefore, it was better to avoid the enemy's main force and attack ships along the United States coast. Compared to the entirely steam-powered France warships, the North American Squadron's hybrid-powered warships, for example, because they didn't always need to burn coal to navigate, had a much greater endurance than the newer warships.
Therefore, the Britain felt they could harass the United States coast, forcing the United States fleet, or at least the two France warships, to head south. Then, their supercruiser Indomitable (the first generation of HMS Free Trade, which the France sold to the Britain) hidden in the Saint Lawrence River could emerge and destroy the United States warships left in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Therefore, when the United States fleet arrived in Halifax, it only found an airport. Considering the port's well-defended facilities, neither the United States nor the France dared to attack it directly. So the American fleet continued northward toward the Cabot Strait.
Canada's ports on the Atlantic Ocean are quite interesting. Apart from Halifax, most Canada ports leading to the Atlantic Ocean are inland ports along the Saint Lawrence River. The Saint Lawrence River has good navigation conditions, so much so that these inland ports, at least in this era, are practically no different from seaports.
Beyond the St. Lawrence Estuary lies the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a wide body of water almost entirely surrounded by land, connected to the Atlantic Ocean only at its eastern end by the Strait of Belle Isle Gulf of St. Lawrence the Cabot Strait. Because the bay was formed by subsidence during tectonic movements, its shoreline is rugged, with numerous reefs and shoals, making navigation difficult. Therefore, the United States Navy dared not sail directly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and block the St. Lawrence Estuary. They could only block the Cabot Strait. Further north, there was another navigable strait— the Strait of Belle Isle. However, considering the unknown whereabouts of the British Navy, the United States did not dare to divert their forces to block the Strait of Belle Isle. Most ships would pass through the Cabot Strait anyway. Especially those Britain ships still en route to North America —without radio communication, they were unaware that the United States had declared war on Britain.
So for a while afterward, the United States Navy enjoyed a rather pleasant time there, watching whales at sea every day. Every now and then, they would intercept one or two Britain ships, unaware that war had broken out, but laden with war supplies. The United States or France would stop them, force them to stop with cannons, board the ships, and announce that they had been captured. Then they would send men to sail these ships back to the United States.
However, the whereabouts of the British Navy's North American Squadron remains a mystery.