HMS Detroit was a 20-gun sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in July 1813 and serving on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. She was the most powerful British ship in the Lake Erie squadron until the Americans captured her during the Battle of Lake Erie on 10 September 1813. Detroit was commissioned into the United States Navy as its first USS Detroit. However, she was so damaged that the sloop took no further part in the war. Postwar, Detroit was sunk for preservation at Misery Bay off Presque Isle until 1833, when she was refloated and converted for commercial service. In 1841, Detroit was reduced to a hulk at Buffalo, New York, where she was purchased with the intent of sending her over Niagara Falls. The plan went awry and Detroit ran aground on a shoal before the falls and broke up.
Design and description
In November 1812, the British learned of the American plan to gain mastery over the upper Great Lakes. In response, the British ordered the construction of a new vessel at Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard in Amherstburg, Upper Canada. The design of the vessel was a repeat of , which itself was based on the ocean-going sloops. The design was modified by Master Shipwright William Bell for service on the Great Lakes.
The ship measured 305 tons burthen (bm) and was long between perpendiculars with a beam of , a depth of hold of and a draught of . After capture by the Americans in 1813, the dimensions of Detroit were reported as long with a beam of and a draught of 12 ft, but this has been discredited as an attempt by Jesse Elliott to claim larger ships to receive larger payouts from the prize courts as it produced disproportionate measurements. The Americans give the displacement of the vessel as .
No design drawings remain, though from contemporary art, Detroit was seen to have a flush, corvette-style upper deck, pierced for 20 guns. The ship was designed to be armed with four long guns and sixteen carronades. However, due to the inability of the British to resupply Amherstburg during the War of 1812, the sloop of was armed with a mix of guns taken from other ships in the Lake Erie squadron and from Fort Malden. The hodgepodge armament was composed of one 24-pounder carronade, one carronade, two 24-pounder long guns, one 18-pounder long gun on a pivot, six long guns and eight long guns. At the Battle of Lake Erie, the ship had a company of 150.
Construction and career
Construction of Detroit began in January 1813, however delays began almost immediately as William Bell complained that he did not have enough shipwrights. The construction placed further burdens on British supply lines, with the vessel requiring of oak timber, 200 oak knees and over of pine timber and boards. Furthermore, there was shortages of fabric for sails, bolts, sheaves and deadeyes. Reinforced by shipwrights sent from Kingston, Upper Canada, planking of the sloop began in April. However, this was soon interrupted when Brigadier General Henry Procter ordered the shipwrights to concentrate their efforts on the construction of gunboats for the army.
On 27 April 1813, the guns meant for Detroit were captured at the battle of York. Commander Robert Barclay of the Royal Navy arrived in June to take command of the Lake Erie squadron. In June and July, Barclay and the Lake Erie squadron made several voyages to Long Point to await reinforcements and stores meant for Detroit. Barclay's American counterpart, Oliver Hazard Perry was also constructing newer, more powerful ships at Put-in-Bay and these were completed before Detroit became operational. Barclay was forced to retreat to Amherstburg to await Detroits completion. In the meantime, the Perry blockaded Long Point, preventing further supplies from reaching Amherstburg.
As the situation at Amherstburg became untenable, Procter and Barclay agreed that Barclay would have to challenge Perry's American squadron. Detroit launched in mid-July and was commissioned into the Royal Navy in August as Barclay's flagship. Without the guns that were captured at York, Barclay was forced to arm Detroit with a mix of guns pulled from other vessels in the squadron and Fort Malden. The guns themselves were not in optimal condition, as they lacked flintlocks and required alternative and less dependable means for firing them. For sails, a spare set from Queen Charlotte was used. Furthermore, there was a lack of sailors in the squadron, with crews being filled out with soldiers from Procter's army.