HMS Montreal (1813)
A scene on Lake Ontario – United States sloop of war Gen. Pike, Commodore Chauncey, and the British sloop of war Wolfe, Sir James Lucas Yeo, preparing for action, 28 September 1813
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Wolfe |
| Ordered: | 14 December 1812 |
| Builder: | Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard |
| Launched: | 22 April 1813 |
| Renamed: | Montreal in 1814 |
| Reclassified: | Rebuilt as transport in 1815 |
| Honours and awards: |
War of 1812 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Sloop-of-war, altered to brig in 1814 |
| Tons burthen: | 426 23⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 30 ft 10 in (9.4 m) |
| Draught: | 11 ft 0 in (3.4 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: | 224 |
HMS Wolfe (later HMS Montreal, originally HMS Sir George Prevost) was a 20-gun sloop-of-war, launched at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard at Kingston, Upper Canada, on 22 April 1813. She served in the British naval squadron in several engagements on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. Upon her launch, Wolfe was made the flagship of the squadron until larger vessels became available. Along with the naval engagements on Lake Ontario, Wolfe supported land operations in the Niagara region and at the Battle of Fort Oswego (as Montreal). Following the war, the vessel was laid up in reserve and eventually sold in 1832.
After the outbreak of the war, the British Governor General of Canada, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost ordered the construction of warships for the Provincial Marine on 14 December 1812 to match American ships being built at Sackett's Harbor, New York. One was to be constructed at Kingston, Upper Canada, the other at York. Designed by Thomas Plucknett, the construction of the vessel was handed over to James Morrison of Montreal who had been hired as master shipwright at Kingston. Progress was slow and Morrison was fired and Daniel Allen, the foreman of the shipwrights, was made master. Daniel Allen was fired in March 1813 for urging his artificers to strike and George Record replaced him as master shipwright of the Kingston yard.
The construction of the new vessel picked up and by April the vessel was ready. On 22 April, the vessel was ready to be launched using a non-traditional method. During the launching, the vessel jammed in her cross-supports and after three days of pulling, was returned to her original position. Launched again on 25 April, this time using the traditional method, the vessel slid into the water successfully. The vessel was initially named Sir George Prevost after the British governor general, in response to the American Madison, which had been named after the president of the United States. Prevost objected to the name and the vessel was re-christened with the name Wolfe, after the British general who died at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. A sister ship, named Sir Isaac Brock, was constructed at York, Upper Canada.
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