War of 1812 Shipwrecks National Historic Site of Canada
Posted by: 
colincan
N 44° 13.704 W 076° 27.992
18T E 382873 N 4898286
Success in the War of 1812 depended greatly on dominance of the Great Lakes. British North America and the United States got into a shipbuilding arms race. The treaty at war's end required scuttling of ships, several of which are wrecks off Kingston.
Waymark Code: WMZT11
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 12/31/2018
Views: 6
The successful prosecution of the War of 1812 by British North America very much depended upon naval power. Dispersed land theatres such as Fort Michilimackinac, Detroit, The Niagara Peninsula, Kingston, Montreal were accessible by water in an age before railways, great highways or strategic canals. Thus the two warring antagonists quickly got into a frenzied shipbuilding mode to acquire dominance on the Great Lakes. A ship larger than Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory at Trafalgar, was constructed at Point Frederick in Kingston in 1814. This was the 112 gun HMS St Lawrence. Her construction contributed mightily to the naval arms race and she brought British ascendancy to Lake Ontario. There was no water route (unless employing a portage) to give maritime access from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie or other Great Lakes, Niagara Falls being the impediment. Once the war ceased, the Rush-Bagot Treaty called for demilitarization. HMS St Lawrence, along with two other mighty vessels, HMS Prince Regent and HMS Princess Charlotte, were all decommissioned and eventually scuttled. The wreck of the St Lawrence lies off the Kingston shoreline. The War of 1812 Shipwrecks was designated of national importance in 2014. A federal plaque was installed in 2018 at Royal Military College.
Classification: National Historic Site
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: Royal Military College, Kingston
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|