As the war ensued on land, out on the water, another war of it's own was being fought. The Union had a navy composed of around 40 wooden ships. It's intentions were to utilize what vessels they had and blockade as much of the southern coastline as they could. The goal: block off as much trade of the south's most precious good, cotton, as they could. Lincoln and Naval Secretary Gideon Welles took on this task rather successfully. Welles implemented many merchant ships, ferries, and old sailing ships, into what many historians referred to as his "soap-box" navy. And for a greater portion of the war the Union navy had a huge impact on the south economically. The south already had much fewer resources than the Union and their economy was not one you would call stable or established. Due to these factors, the blockade of many of the Confederate ports harshly impacted the south.
There was one particular blip in the naval dominance of the Union. When the ironclad, Virginia, was put into service by the confederacy after its development by, the all-wooden navy of the north was useless. For a period of time, the Union and Confederacy were at a race to develop as many ironclad vessels as they could. The Union was now challenged more frequently at sea by the Confederate navy. Despite this advancement in technology, the Union remained in blockading many of the southern ports and shipping routes.
http://www.civilwar.org/educaetion/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/navy.html
There was one particular blip in the naval dominance of the Union. When the ironclad, Virginia, was put into service by the confederacy after its development by, the all-wooden navy of the north was useless. For a period of time, the Union and Confederacy were at a race to develop as many ironclad vessels as they could. The Union was now challenged more frequently at sea by the Confederate navy. Despite this advancement in technology, the Union remained in blockading many of the southern ports and shipping routes.
http://www.civilwar.org/educaetion/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/navy.html