Great Britain played a major role on the blockade running business. Britons had investments in the south, and were suffering from the Lancashire Cotton Famine. Great Britain also controlled many of the neutral ports in the Caribbean, and in the Bahamas and Bermuda. To protect their interests British investors had engineered steamships that were longer, narrower and considerably faster than most of the conventional steamers guarding the American coastline, thus enabling them to outmaneuver and outrun blockaders. Among the more notable was the CSS Advance that completed more than 20 successful runs through the Union blockade before being captured.