HMS St Lawrence (1814) facts for kids
A painting of HMS St Lawrence
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | St Lawrence |
| Builder | Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard, Kingston |
| Laid down | 12 April 1814 |
| Launched | 10 September 1814 |
| Decommissioned | 1815 |
| Fate | Sold, 1832 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 2,304 90⁄94 bm |
| Length | 194 ft 2 in (59.18 m) (gun deck length) |
| Beam | 52 ft 7 in (16.03 m) |
| Complement | 700 |
| Armament |
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| Designated: | 2015 |
HMS St Lawrence was a huge wooden warship built for the Royal Navy. It had 102 guns! This ship sailed on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. It was built right on the lake in Kingston, Ontario. This makes it special because it was the only Royal Navy 'ship of the line' (a very powerful warship) ever built and used entirely in fresh water.
Even though it was built in 1814, its arrival on the lake was so impressive that it stopped all fighting there. So, St Lawrence never actually went into battle! After the war ended in 1815, the ship was put away. It was later sold in 1832. The ship eventually sank and is now a cool spot for divers to explore.
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What Was the HMS St Lawrence Like?
Master shipbuilder John Dennis and almost 200 other shipbuilders worked hard to build St Lawrence. They finished it in less than ten months!
This ship was different from warships made for the ocean. It didn't have certain upper decks, which made it look a bit like a frigate. Also, since it wasn't going on long ocean trips, it didn't need to carry as many supplies. This helped save space and materials.
The St Lawrence was actually bigger and had more guns than HMS Victory, the famous ship that Horatio Nelson used at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Size and Crew
The St Lawrence was very large. It weighed about 2,304 tons. Its main gun deck was about 59 meters (194 feet) long. The ship was also about 16 meters (52 feet) wide.
It needed a large crew of 700 people to operate it. The ship carried 102 guns in total.
- On the upper deck: 32 large 32-pounder guns and two very big 68-pounder guns.
- On the middle deck: 36 powerful 24-pounder guns.
- On the lower deck: 28 large 32-pounder guns, four 24-pounder guns, and two more 68-pounder guns.
The Ship's Story: Service History
The British ordered the St Lawrence to help balance the naval power on Lake Ontario. At the time, the United States had a strong navy there, led by Isaac Chauncey.
Building the Ship
Building the ship started on April 12, 1814. It took a lot of resources from the British in the area. This affected supplies for everyone during that spring and summer.
They missed their planned launch dates in June, July, and August. To get all the parts needed for such a huge ship, three other large British warships were stripped down in Montreal. Their materials were then brought to Kingston.
Launch and Early Days
St Lawrence was finally launched on September 10, 1814. British naval leader Sir James Lucas Yeo made it his main ship. Captain Frederick Hickey was the ship's captain. The ship was built at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Ontario, Upper Canada. It cost Britain a huge amount of money, £500,000.
The day after the ship launched, an American fleet appeared near Kingston. They wanted to fight, but the British said no. The St Lawrence didn't sail out until October 16. It made a few trips around Lake Ontario. On October 19, lightning struck the ship. This damaged a mast and sadly killed some of the crew.
The Americans even tried to blow up St Lawrence in Kingston harbour. They used a "torpedo," which was actually more like a floating naval mine. But the British chased them away before they could do any serious damage.
Why Lake Ontario Was Special
Lake Ontario was almost like a closed-off lake for big ships. This was because of shallow water and fast rapids on the St. Lawrence River downstream. Also, Niagara Falls was upstream. So, warships for Lake Ontario had to be built right there. They were built either in Kingston or in American shipyards like Sackets Harbor. Sometimes, merchant ships already on the lake were turned into warships.
During the war, control of Lake Ontario kept changing between the Americans and the British. The lake was a very important route for the British to move supplies for their military operations to the west.
A Ship That Never Fought
Building a 'first-rate' ship like St Lawrence was a game-changer. Most of the fighting on the lake had been done by smaller ships like sloops and frigates. Once St Lawrence was ready for battle, it gave the British complete control of the lake in the last months of the war.
Because it was so powerful, the American fleet didn't dare to sail out. So, HMS St Lawrence never actually had to fight in a battle. Its presence alone was enough to stop the fighting.
After the War
After the war ended in 1815, the ship was taken out of service. In January 1832, its main body (the hull) was sold for £25. Between May and August, the hull was moved out of Navy Bay.
It later became part of a pier at Morton's Brewery in Kingston. It was used to store things like firewood. Eventually, it sank in about 9 meters (30 feet) of water close to the shore. Over time, the ship's remains rotted away. By 2009, only its keel (the bottom backbone of the ship) and some of its ribs were left.
The wreck site of St Lawrence, along with two other ships, Princess Charlotte and Prince Regent, was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 2015.
Model of the Ship
The Royal Military College of Canada Museum in Kingston, Ontario has a detailed model of HMS St Lawrence. It was built by a skilled model maker named Louis Roosen.
