Commerce raiding

Commerce raiding is a naval strategy where a country’s warships attack and disrupt an enemy's commercial shipping and trade routes rather than engaging their navy directly. The goal is to weaken the enemy’s economy by damaging or sinking merchant vessels, thus reducing their ability to supply and finance their military efforts. This tactic focuses on economic disruption and resource deprivation, often causing widespread costs to the enemy’s trade infrastructure without risking a full-scale fleet confrontation.