Hamilton and Scourge National Historic Site of Canada, Hamilton, Ontario
Posted by: 
colincan
N 43° 14.915 W 079° 45.200
17T E 601203 N 4789174
During the War of 1812 the US naval vessels Hamilton and Scourge went to a watery grave off shore from Port Dalhousie, in Lake Ontario. The dry land commemoration is at a replica cemetery in a shoreline park in nearby Hamilton.
Waymark Code: WMN9W4
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 01/27/2015
Views: 9
If you excuse the pun, plans have been floated to raise the American schooners Hamilton and Scourge lost off Port Dalhousie in Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. They formed part of Captain Chauncey’s fleet based at Sacket’s Harbour, New York. They went down in a storm in the summer of 1813. Throughout the sailing season that year Lake Ontario saw British Commander Yeo and Chauncey jockey for naval supremacy on the lake. Supremacy dictated how the land armies would be arraigned and offensive strategies prepared. Upper Canada was particularly vulnerable since its situation with water all round it meant vigilance to ward off naval led incursions had to be constant. The sacking of the colony’s capital York in April had demonstrated this weakness. In effect the two navies pretty well stymied each other that year. The loss of all crew on the schooners was a heavy blow. Underwater scanning technology allowed for the discovery of the wrecks in 1975 after years of searching. Even skeletal remains of the crew are evident, the cold water having preserved them. There is talk of the ships being salvaged and put on display in Hamilton but that is not yet a reality. The Hamilton and Scourge were designated of national importance in 1976. A plaque unveiling ceremony was held at the War of 1812 Naval Memorial Garden (mock) cemetery, Edgewater Pavilion, Confederation Park, Hamilton, in August 2013. The plaque was erected in 2014.
Credit: Wesley Turner, The War of 1812; The War That Both Sides Won, Dundurn Press, 199
Classification: National Historic Site
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: Hamilton
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: [Web Link]
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