Queen Charlotte (1810 ship) facts for kids
 United Kingdom |
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|---|---|
| Name | Queen Charlotte |
| Namesake | Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
| Ordered | January 1809 |
| Builder | Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard, Amherstburg |
| Laid down | 1809 |
| Launched | late 1810 |
| Commissioned | 1813 |
| Fate | Captured 10 September 1813 |
 United States |
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| Name | USS Queen Charlotte |
| Acquired | by capture, 10 September 1813 |
| Fate | Sold, 1825 |
 United States |
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| Name | Queen Charlotte |
| Acquired | 1825 by purchase |
| Fate | Abandoned 1844 |
Quick facts for kids General characteristics |
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| Type | Ship-sloop |
| Tons burthen | 25438⁄95 (bm) |
| Length | 92 ft 2 in (28.1 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m) |
| Depth of hold | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Complement | 126 |
| Armament |
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The Queen Charlotte was a special type of sailing ship called a ship-sloop. It was built in 1810 for the Upper Canada Provincial Marine, which was like a navy for the British in Canada. This happened just before the War of 1812 started.
The ship was ordered in 1809 and designed by William Bell, a master shipwright (ship builder). It was built at the Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard in Amherstburg, Ontario, which is on Lake Erie. The Queen Charlotte was designed to be a strong and effective warship.
During the War of 1812, the Queen Charlotte was an important part of the British fleet on Lake Erie. In 1813, the Royal Navy took over command of the ships on the Great Lakes, and the Queen Charlotte officially joined their fleet. However, on September 10, 1813, the Queen Charlotte and the rest of the British Lake Erie fleet were captured by the American navy at the Battle of Lake Erie.
After being captured, the ship was used by the United States Navy. But it didn't see any more fighting during the war. After the war ended, the Queen Charlotte was sunk on purpose in Put-in-Bay, Ohio to keep it safe and preserved. In 1825, it was brought back up and sold to be used as a merchant ship. It continued to sail until 1844, when it was too old and damaged to be used anymore and was left to rot.
Contents
Building the Queen Charlotte
In 1809, there was a growing chance of war with the United States. Because of this, Sir James Henry Craig, who was the Governor-General of British North America, ordered two new ships. One was for Lake Ontario, and the other was for Lake Erie. The Queen Charlotte was the ship built for Lake Erie.
Its keel (the main bottom part of the ship) was laid down in mid-1809 at the Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard. The ship was first planned to be a "corvette brig," which is a smaller warship with guns on one deck. It was also meant to carry many soldiers.
William Bell, the main ship builder at Amherstburg, asked for some changes to the design. He wanted the ship to be bigger and have a deeper draught (how deep the ship sits in the water). These changes were approved in October 1809. The final design looked like the Snake-class ship-sloop class of ships, but it was a bit shorter and narrower. It still had a flush deck (a flat deck without raised sections) and a full rig (meaning it had three or more masts with square sails).
Construction Challenges
Building the Queen Charlotte was supposed to be finished in 1809. However, there wasn't enough good wood and skilled ship builders, which caused delays. During the winter, wood had to be brought over land. In early 1810, other ships helped by bringing cedar wood from Pelee Island. More ship builders were also sent from Kingston, Ontario to help at Amherstburg.
The ship was built using different types of wood:
- Oak for the large main parts and the outer hull.
- Cedar for the beams and futtocks (curved timbers that form the ribs of the ship).
- Pine for the deck.
The Queen Charlotte was about 92 feet 2 inches (28.1 m) long. It had a beam (width) of 26 feet 0 inches (7.9 m) and a depth of hold (inside depth) of 11 feet 0 inches (3.4 m). It weighed 254 and 38/95 tons burthen, which is a way to measure a ship's size. The ship had a crew of 126 officers and sailors.
Ship's Weapons
When it was first built, the Queen Charlotte had:
- Sixteen 24-pounder carronades (short, powerful cannons).
- Four 24-pounder long guns (longer cannons).
In 1813, the ship's weapons were changed to:
- Fourteen 24-pounder carronades.
- One 24-pounder long gun on a pivot (meaning it could turn all the way around).
- Two regular 24-pounder long guns.
Service in the War of 1812
The Queen Charlotte was launched in late 1810. When it arrived, an older ship called Earl of Camden was no longer needed. The Queen Charlotte looked very similar to another ship called Royal George. You could only tell them apart by a light on the back and a railing on the quarterdeck.
When the War of 1812 began, the Queen Charlotte was the biggest ship in the British fleet on Lake Erie. On August 15, 1812, during the Battle of Detroit, British gunners set up cannons on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. They started firing at Fort Detroit. The General Hunter and Queen Charlotte joined in from the river, also firing their guns.
In 1813, Commander Robert Heriot Barclay from the Royal Navy came to take command of the Lake Erie fleet. The Queen Charlotte was officially commissioned (put into active service) in the Royal Navy under Commander Robert Finnis. Barclay thought the Queen Charlotte was a "fine vessel" and would be a "very effective fighting ship" if it had enough crew. However, in early 1813, it only had 75 crew members, which was not enough.
The Battle of Lake Erie
At this time, the Americans were building bigger and stronger ships at Erie, Pennsylvania. They wanted to take control of Lake Erie. Barclay wanted to attack Erie and burn these new ships before they could be used. But the army wouldn't give him the soldiers he needed. So, Barclay decided to set up a blockade (blocking off a port) of Erie instead. He planned to stop the American ships if they tried to launch.
On July 30, 1813, Barclay's fleet left the blockade to get more supplies at Amherstburg. While they were gone, the American commander, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, launched his new ships. When Barclay returned, he saw the powerful American ships on the lake. His fleet had to retreat to Amherstburg and wait for their own new ship, Detroit, to be finished.
At the end of July, Perry started his own blockade, stopping British supplies from moving between Long Point, Ontario and Amherstburg. This caused shortages for the British, and supplies for the new ship Detroit couldn't arrive. After Detroit was finally built, Barclay had to take guns from his other ships, including the Queen Charlotte, to arm it. The Queen Charlotte also gave its spare sails to the Detroit.
On September 9, 1813, with Detroit now part of the fleet, Barclay sailed out to break the American blockade.
The Battle Begins
In Barclay's battle line, the Queen Charlotte was the fourth ship. It had 130 crew members, but fewer than 15 of them were experienced sailors. When the battle started, the Queen Charlotte faced off against the American ship Niagara. But they were too far apart for their shots to hit.
As the smaller American schooners (a type of sailing ship) joined the fight, Somers also started firing at the Queen Charlotte. Both American ships focused their fire on the Queen Charlotte's quarterdeck (the raised deck at the back of the ship). This led to Commander Finnis being killed and the first lieutenant being wounded.
An inexperienced officer named Lieutenant Robert Irvine took command of the Queen Charlotte. He couldn't move his ship into a better position against Niagara and Somers because they were upwind. Instead, he decided to move around the General Hunter (which was third in line) and attack Perry's flagship (the ship where the commander is), Lawrence.
Turning the Tide
Now, three British ships were heavily attacking the Lawrence. This forced the Lawrence out of the battle, and Commodore Perry had to move his flag (and himself) to the Niagara. The Niagara then moved forward to attack the Detroit, but it stayed out of range of the Queen Charlotte.
As the Queen Charlotte tried to get closer, it almost crashed into the Detroit, and the two ships became tangled together. This left the Niagara free to fire at both British ships without much resistance. The two British ships eventually untangled, but the damage was already done. The Queen Charlotte struck her colours (lowered her flag to surrender), and then the Detroit and the rest of the British fleet surrendered too.
After the Battle
The Americans used their captured ships, Detroit and Queen Charlotte, as hospital ships to care for the wounded. On September 13, a strong storm swept across the lake and broke the masts of both ships, damaging them even more. Once the wounded were taken to Erie, the two British ships were mostly just broken hulks (old, damaged ships). In November, the Queen Charlotte was taken to Put-in-Bay, Ohio and stored there. It didn't see any more action during the war. In 1815, the Queen Charlotte, Detroit, and Lawrence were all sunk at Put-in-Bay on purpose to keep them preserved.
Later Life and Fate
In 1825, the Queen Charlotte was sold to a man named George Brown from Erie. He raised the ship from the water and fixed it up to be a merchant ship (a ship that carries goods). Between 1842 and 1844, it was used to transport wood, especially staves (wooden strips for barrels) and timber.
Eventually, the ship suffered from dry rot (a type of fungus that destroys wood) and the effects of weather. Its owners decided it was no longer safe to sail. So, they left it as a dismasted hulk, meaning it was an old, broken ship without its masts, left to decay.
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