USS Caledonia (1812)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Caledonia |
| Builder: | British at Maiden, Ontario |
| Completed: | 1807 |
| Acquired: |
|
| Commissioned: | 1813 |
| Decommissioned: | circa 1815 |
| Struck: | 1815 (est.) |
| Captured: | 8 October 1812 by the U.S. Navy |
| Fate: | sold May 1815 at Erie, Pennsylvania |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Brig |
| Tons burthen: | 180 |
| Propulsion: | sail |
| Complement: | 53 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Notes: | 80-pound broadside |
USS Caledonia was a brig, formerly HMS Caledonia, which was captured by the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and taken into American service. The brig played an important role with the American squadron on Lake Erie, and was sold at the end of the war.
Caledonia was the first warship in the U.S. Navy to carry that name.
Caledonia was built for the Canadian North West Company at Malden, near Amherstburg in Upper Canada in 1807, for the North American fur trade on the Great Lakes.
In 1812, the brig was taken into military service with the Provincial Marine, a naval transport and protection service in Canada. It played a major part in the Battle of Mackinac Island, transporting artillery which was used to force the American garrison of the island to surrender.
After the American garrison of Detroit surrendered after the Siege of Detroit, Caledonia and the brig Detroit, which had been captured at Detroit, were engaged in transporting troops and stores from Detroit and Amherstburg to the Niagara River, where an American attack was anticipated.
On 8 October 1812, the two brigs were anchored near Fort Erie at the head of the Niagara River. Caledonia carried two 4-pounder guns on pivots, and had a crew of twelve. There were also ten American prisoners aboard, and a cargo of furs worth approximately $200,000, a considerable sum of money at the time.
A boarding party consisting of American sailors under Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliott and soldiers under Captain Nathan Towson boarded and captured both brigs. Adams ran aground under artillery fire on an island in the river and was eventually set on fire to prevent it being recaptured. Caledonia was taken successfully to the navy yard at Black Rock, New York. During the boarding one American sailor was killed and four seriously wounded by a volley of musketry. The twelve Canadian crew members were made captive.
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Wikipedia