Union Maritime Advantages
The Northeast had a much stronger seafaring tradition than did the South on whole. This meant that even initially they had a much larger pool of skilled manpower. This included background in merchant shipping, fishing, whaling, as well as in general navy ships and shipbuilding.
Added to these advantages was the fact that at the outbreak of the war the North and control of virtually all of the navy, which was approximately 8,900 men, including 1,300 officers and the U.S. Naval academy located on the Chesapeake in Annapolis Maryland.