What were the Hamilton & Scourge before the War?

The Hamilton and Scourge were not large specialized war vessels; instead, they were simple merchant ships that were pressed into service for the American Navy just prior to the War of 1812.

These vessels were "people's ships essential to the development of the western world in the long, early days of the industrial revolution, when the production volume of many small factories was small, and distances between these and their widely spaced small markets were great." (See Ghost Ships by Emily Cain).

These are ordinary ships, and perhaps because of this there is little documentation surviving on these and other ships like them - although at the time they were numerous on the lakes and the seas for use by merchants.

History of the Ships before the War

The Lord Nelson was built at Niagara, Upper Canada, for merchant James Crooks, and was launched on May 1, 1811. It was due to the Embargo Act of 1807 that she found herself "enlisted" in the U.S. Navy. The Lord Nelson was shipping goods (including Mrs. McCormick's trunks) from Prescott U.C. to Newark U.C. on June 9, 1812 when she was stopped by United States Navy Lt. Melancthon T. Woolsey aboard the Oneida. Woolsey wrote that "she had no papers on board other than a loose journal and a bill of lading...but no Register, license or clearance." Woolsey suspected she was "hovering along our shore to take on board property for the Canada market in violation of the Embargo Law..." On suspicion of smuggling, Woolsey confiscated the Lord Nelson, and she eventually found her way into Captain Isaac Chauncey's fleet at Sackets Harbor, N.Y.

The Diana was built at Oswego, N.Y. in 1809 for merchant Matthew McNair. She found her way into the U.S. Navy on October 21, 1812, when she was purchased by Captain Chauncey and added to his squadron at Sackets Harbor. Her name was changed to Hamilton on November 5, 1812, in honour of the Secretary of the American Navy Paul Hamilton.

Once at Sackets Harbor, the Hamilton and Scourge were armed. Ned Myers, a young American sailor, was there and wrote concerning the Lord Nelson that, "This craft was unfit for her duty, but time pressed, and no better offered. The bulwarks had been raised on her, and she mounted eight sixes (guns), in regular broadside."

Problems with converted merchant ships were obvious: the bulwarks often offered only a limited protection for gun crews, and Myers said that the Lord Nelson's "accommodations were bad enough, and she was so tender that we could do little or nothing with her in a blow. It was often prognosticated that she would prove our coffin....We must have had about forty-five souls on board, all told."   Ultimately, the 76 ton Hamilton was armed with eight 18-pound carronades and one 24- or 32-pound cannon, while the 45-ton Scourge had four 6-pound cannons and four 4-pound cannons.

How were these Ships Built?

What would the Ships have originally looked like?

Learn about the original owner of the Lord Nelson, James Crooks

Take a Virtual Tour of the Hamilton and Scourge

 

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