HMS Detroit (1813) facts for kids
Painting of HMS Detroit by E.A Hodgkinson
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Detroit |
| Builder | Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard, Amherstburg |
| Laid down | January 1813 |
| Launched | mid-July 1813 |
| Commissioned | August 1813 |
| Fate | Captured on 10 September 1813 |
 United States |
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| Name | USS Detroit |
| Acquired | 10 September 1813 by capture |
| Out of service | 1815 |
| Fate | Sold in 1825 |
| History | |
| Name | Detroit |
| Acquired | 1825 |
| In service | 1836 |
| Out of service | September 1841 |
| Fate | Ran aground above Niagara Falls |
| General characteristics as built | |
| Type | Sloop |
| Tons burthen | 305 (bm) |
| Length | 92 ft 6 in (28.2 m) pp |
| Beam | 26 ft 0 in (7.9 m) |
| Draught | 12 ft 0 in (3.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 11 ft 0 in (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Armament |
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HMS Detroit was a powerful British warship. It was a type of ship called a sloop-of-war, which is a small warship with a single gun deck. This ship was built in July 1813 and served on Lake Erie.
Detroit was the strongest British ship in the Lake Erie fleet. But American forces captured her during the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. After being captured, the ship joined the United States Navy as its first USS Detroit. However, she was too damaged to fight again in the war.
Years later, Detroit was sunk on purpose to keep her safe. This happened at Misery Bay near Presque Isle. In 1833, she was brought back up and changed into a trading ship. In 1841, Detroit became a hulk, which is an old ship used for storage. People bought her to send her over Niagara Falls. But the plan failed, and Detroit got stuck on a sandbar before the falls and broke apart.
Contents
Building the Detroit
Why the Detroit was built
In November 1812, the British found out that the Americans planned to control the Great Lakes. To stop this, the British decided to build a new warship. They built it at the Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard in Amherstburg, Upper Canada.
The new ship was designed like another British ship, HMS Queen Charlotte. That ship was based on ocean-going sloops. The main shipbuilder, William Bell, changed the design to work well on the Great Lakes.
Ship's size and weapons
The Detroit was about 28 meters (92 feet 6 inches) long. It was about 7.9 meters (26 feet) wide. It could carry 305 tons of cargo.
The ship was planned to have 20 guns. These included four 12-pounder long guns and sixteen 24-pounder carronades. Long guns could shoot far, while carronades were shorter and fired heavier shots at closer range.
However, the British had trouble getting supplies during the War of 1812. So, Detroit ended up with a mix of guns. These guns came from other ships and from Fort Malden. The ship had one 24-pounder carronade, one 18-pounder carronade, two 24-pounder long guns, one 18-pounder long gun, six 12-pounder long guns, and eight 9-pounder long guns.
At the Battle of Lake Erie, the ship had a crew of 150 people.
Construction and early service
Building challenges
Building Detroit started in January 1813. But there were problems right away. William Bell, the shipbuilder, said he didn't have enough workers. Building the ship also put a lot of strain on British supply lines. The ship needed a lot of wood, like oak and pine. There were also shortages of fabric for sails, bolts, and other parts.
More shipbuilders were sent from Kingston. The ship's outer planks started to be added in April. But this work stopped when General Henry Procter ordered the workers to build gunboats for the army instead.
Preparing for battle
On April 27, 1813, the guns meant for Detroit were captured by Americans at the Battle of York. Commander Robert Heriot Barclay of the Royal Navy arrived in June to lead the Lake Erie fleet.
In June and July, Barclay's fleet sailed to Long Point. They waited for more supplies and soldiers for Detroit. Meanwhile, the American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, was building new, stronger ships. His ships were ready before Detroit.
Barclay had to go back to Amherstburg to wait for Detroit to be finished. Perry then blocked Long Point. This stopped more supplies from reaching Amherstburg.
Joining the fleet
The situation at Amherstburg became very difficult. Procter and Barclay agreed that Barclay had to fight Perry's American fleet. Detroit was launched in mid-July. She officially joined the Royal Navy in August and became Barclay's main ship, or flagship.
Since the original guns were captured, Barclay had to use a mix of guns. These came from other ships and Fort Malden. The guns were not in perfect condition. They also lacked flintlocks, which made them harder to fire reliably. For sails, they used an extra set from another ship. There was also a shortage of sailors. So, soldiers from Procter's army had to help crew the ships.
Battle of Lake Erie
The fight begins
Barclay and his fleet left Amherstburg on September 9, 1813. They planned to fight the American fleet. The two groups met on September 10. Detroit was second in Barclay's line of ships. She faced Perry's main ship, USS Lawrence.
Detroit fired its first shot, a 24-pounder long gun, at Lawrence. It missed. But the second shot hit. Lawrence and two American schooners, USS Ariel and USS Scorpion, fought Detroit. Lawrence and Detroit exchanged many shots.
Another British ship, Queen Charlotte, moved up to help. She also fired at Lawrence. Together, Detroit and Queen Charlotte badly damaged Lawrence. This forced Perry to leave his ship and move to another one, USS Niagara.
The turning point
By this time, Barclay was hurt. Lieutenant George Inglis took command of Detroit. After Perry moved to Niagara, he brought his new ship closer to Detroit. Detroit started firing at Niagara. But Detroit was already heavily damaged, and its crew was tired. Niagara, however, had barely been in the fight.
Niagara moved to pass in front of Detroits bow. This would allow Niagara to fire along the length of the British ship, causing huge damage. Queen Charlotte tried to get into a position to attack Niagara. But in doing so, she got tangled with Detroits yardarms. The two British ships were stuck together and couldn't move.
Niagara kept firing at the two stuck British ships. This caused a lot of damage. After they finally got untangled, Queen Charlotte surrendered. Then Detroit and the rest of the British fleet also gave up.
After the battle
American service and preservation
The captured British ships were taken to Put-in-Bay. They were kept there to stop them from sinking. The Americans used Detroit and Queen Charlotte as hospital ships. A big storm hit the lake on September 13. It broke the masts of both ships, damaging them even more.
Once the injured people were moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, the two British ships were mostly useless. In May 1814, another American ship, USS Ohio, helped prepare Detroit and Queen Charlotte. They were then moved to Erie in November. There, they were used as receiving ships for the rest of the war.
After the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1815, the Americans sank Detroit on purpose. They did this at Misery Bay near Presque Isle Bay to keep the ship preserved. In 1816, the Rush-Bagot Treaty came into effect. This treaty limited the number of warships each country could have on the Great Lakes.
Later life and fate
On August 8, 1825, the U.S. government closed the Lake Erie station. They sold the sunken Detroit and other ships to a merchant named Benjamin H. Brown. He didn't do anything with them until June 20, 1836. Then, he sold them to George Miles.
Miles raised Detroit from the water. He fixed her up to be a trading barque, which is a type of sailing ship. She worked on the Great Lakes until 1841. Then, she was laid up at Buffalo, New York as a hulk.
In September 1841, a group of merchants bought the old ship. They wanted to create a big show at Niagara Falls. They re-rigged her to sail and set her loose above Niagara Falls. They hoped she would go over the falls and smash at the bottom. However, Detroit got stuck on a shoal (a shallow sandbar) before reaching the falls. Detroit eventually broke apart right there.
