USS Caledonia (1812)
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| Career (USA) |   |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Caledonia |
| Builder: | British at Maiden, Ontario |
| Acquired: | 6 February 1813 at Black Rock, New York |
| 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 | |
| Tons burthen: | 180 |
| Length: | not known |
| Beam: | not known |
| Draft: | not known |
| Propulsion: | sail |
| Complement: | 53 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | two long 24-pounder guns one 32-pounder carronade |
| Notes: | 80-pound broadside |
USS Caledonia (1812) was a brig captured by the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812 and then placed in service under the American flag. Caledonia – with her long range 24-pounders -- then played an important role in continued sea warfare on the Great Lakes, and was sold at war’s end.
Caledonia was the first warship in the U.S. Navy to carry that name.
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[edit] Caledonia captured
Caledonia was built by the British at Maiden, Ontario; captured off Fort Erie, Ontario, 8 October 1812 by a boarding party of American sailors under Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliott,
The Caledonia carried two 4-pounders on pivots, and had a crew of 12 Canadian-English men, plus ten American prisoners and a very valuable cargo of furs, worth approximately $200,000, a considerable sum of money at the time. 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.
Caledonia was purchased by the Navy at Black Rock, New York, 6 February 1813 and was outfitted with two long 24-pounder guns and one 34-pounder carronade. This, in effect, gave Caledonia an impressive broadside capability of 80 pounds of shot.
[edit] Service in the War of 1812
Commanded by Lieutenant Daniel Turner, Caledonia played a key role in the operations of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's squadron on Lake Erie during 1813 and 1814. In the decisive Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), which sundered British control of the Great Lakes, gallant little Caledonia's long guns were the only ones of the fleet which could reach the enemy's three heaviest units as they pounded the American flagship Lawrence.
Caledonia also took part in the expedition to Lakes Huron and Superior (July-September 1814).
[edit] Post-war disposition
The brig was sold at Erie, Pennsylvania, in May 1815.
[edit] References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Roosevelt, Theodore (1999). "pages 148, 158-160, 174, 221, 239, 242-249, 334, 336", The Naval War of 1812. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80910-9.
