In much the same way that it's making massive changes to the way warfare is conducted, Victoria 3 is shifting gears for its naval management layer. That's a hugely important piece of the game, too: the period from 1836-1936 was in many ways defined by global oceanic trade, and the control of key shipping lanes. A new dev diary explains how the grand strategy game is approaching this side of empire management.
Navies in Victoria 3 are going to function in many ways like armies will. Specifically, you're not going to be moving individual ships or flotillas around, but rather giving orders to your admirals, who will then use the ships and resources available to them to try to carry out those orders as best they can.
There are key differences between navies and armies, however - importantly, navies operate on the sea, and as the diary points out, the moving front system that defines land warfare would be meaningless on the open ocean. Instead, admirals can be ordered to do things like patrol, raid convoys, support beachheads, or run blockades on ports or straits.
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