Warships of the Great Lakes, 1754-1834

by Robert Malcomson

While the great fleets battled for international dominion on the ocean seas, the age of fighting sail also evolved in the interior of North America. For eighty years (roughly 1754-1834) freshwater was the home to warships that ranged in size from the simplest gunboat to a First Rate that could have held its own in Nelson's line of battle. This book presents the history of the navies developed by the French, British, and Americans on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, its primary objective being to provide the reader with a comprehensive description of the warships, their design and construction and their utilization during war and peace. Although armed sailing ships appeared on the lakes in the 1600s and their remains spawn intensive archeological investigation today, the specific period of study here ranges from 1754 until 1834. It was in 1754 that the British Admiralty issued instructions to commence building a naval presence on the lakes. In 1834 it formally closed the last of the establishments where the warships under sail had operated.

Genres: History, Naval History

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

A teacher who worked for the Niagara South School Board and the District School Board of Niagara from 1968 until 2002, Robert George Malcomson was an internationally acclaimed author of works on Canadian military history and the War of 1812.

Reviews

[Evan C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book primarily about the Great Lakes fleets in the War of 1812 (though prior naval development back to the 7 Years War is also included for about a third of the book). Some of the stats given seem to for serious naval enthusiasts and don't really serve a purpose unless you're into modelling. And though there is a glossary you might still be scratching your head trying to figure out the difference between brigs, schooners and sloops if you aren't familiar with the age of sail.

But for me, the most annoying thing was the omission of ships that never saw any combat but served on the lakes, or nearly did. The Adams/Detroit is listed, but not given any dimensions or armament. The Duke of Gloucester/York is given a similar treatment, and a second omission is that she was undergoing an extensive refit in 1813 before being captured by the United States and what the intended final set-up was to be isn't touched on (but mentioned briefly in another Malcolmson book). The Isaac Brock (burned on the stocks in 1813) gets a similar fate, though we can assume she was the same dimension as the Wolfe we can't be sure. The guns of Detroit, known going into the battle of Lake Erie, are likewise not mentioned what was intended to be. The last two omissions are the final dimensions and layout of the Chippewa and New Orleans, started but never completed in 1815. For having such a detailed book these are huge omissions in my opinion.

This book should honestly be paired with numerous other 1812 books by Malcolmson and Graves (the two foremost Canadian authors on the conflict).

[Belle Meade School]

359.3

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion book to any War of 1812 naval history reading. Filled an obvious void in the naval history of the period.