HMS ''Lord Melville'' (also known as HMS ''Melville'') was a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

launched at

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

, on 20 July 1813. Initially designed as a

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, she was altered to 14-gun

in 1813. She served on

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, and was renamed HMS ''Star'' on 22 January 1814. By 1815, she was unfit for anything but transport duties. She was sold in 1837.

Description

''Lord Melville'' was initially ordered as a

to a design by Master Shipwright George Record of the

Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard The Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard from 1788 to 1853 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, at the site of the current Royal Military College of Canada. History The British naval forces on the lakes, known as the Provincial M ...

and was enlarged to a

after construction began. The vessel measured 186

tons burthen Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship bas ...

and was long at the

gun deck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. The term is generally applied to decks enclosed under a roof; smaller and unrated vessels carried their guns o ...

and at the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. The vessel had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draught of . The brig's

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...

had a depth of . ''Lord Melville'' had an initial

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-class ...

of 98 composed of 60 officers and crew and 38

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

. By 1830, this number had dropped to 80. The vessel was initially armed with sixteen

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

s, later reduced to twelve 32-pounder carronades and adding two long guns. In 1815, the armament consisted of four 18-pounder guns, two guns and eight carronades. By 1830, all fourteen guns were 32-pounder carronades.

Service history

As ''Lord Melville''

During a survey of the shipyard at Kingston, Upper Canada, it was found that there was enough building material contained within the yard to construct a new vessel. A schooner was ordered for the

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

in March 1813. ''Lord Melville'' was launched at Kingston on 22 July 1813. The brig departed Kingston with Commodore Sir

James Lucas Yeo Sir James Lucas Yeo, , (; 7 October 1782 – 21 August 1818) was a British naval commander who served in the War of 1812. Born in Southampton, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 10 and saw his first action in the Adriatic Sea. He distingu ...

's squadron on 31 July for Lake Ontario with the intent of engaging their American counterparts under Commodore

Isaac Chauncey Isaac Chauncey (February 20, 1772 – January 27, 1840) was an American naval officer in the United States Navy who served in the Quasi-War, The Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. In the latter part of his naval career he was President of th ...

. ''Lord Melville'' took part in a series of

engagements An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

off the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

and

Burlington Bay Hamilton Harbour, formerly known as Burlington Bay, lies on the western tip of Lake Ontario, bounded on the northwest by the City of Burlington, on the south by the City of Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton Beach (south of the Burlington Ba ...

, including the capture of the American schooners and on 10 August. The following day, ''Lord Melville'' sprang a leak and the squadron returned Kingston, where the brig underwent repairs. Yeo's squadron returned to Lake Ontario on 24 August and sailed for

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

. On 11 September, the British squadron became becalmed off the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

, where it was set upon by the American squadron. ''Lord Melville'' and were the vessels closest to the American squadron and bore the brunt of the cannon fire. Between the two vessels, they suffered four men killed and five wounded, but the British squadron escaped. In a following engagement on 28 September, after the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the British squadron, was dismasted, ''Lord Melville'' and ''Earl of Moira'' attacked the American battle line, exchanging heavy fire with , and ''Governor Tompkins''. ''Lord Melville'' was nearly captured by the American flagship . The British retreated into Burlington Bay. ''Lord Melville'' and ''Beresford'' patrolled while ''Wolfe'' and ''Royal George'' made repairs. The squadron returned to Kingston after the two larger vessels were capable of sailing. As part of the British attempt to intercept the American army marching on

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in October, the smaller vessels in the squadron were detached under Captain William Mulcaster and sailed to French Creek. There, four vessels, including ''Lord Melville'' bombarded the Americans. The British were forced to withdraw after the American gunnery from the shore became too intense. Mulcaster's force suffered one killed and five injured. In November, the squadron remained mostly at anchor due to the weather and ''Lord Melville'' made one final trip on 3 December before being laid up for the winter.

As ''Star''

The brig was renamed ''Star'' on 22 January 1814, reclassified as a brig-sloop and command was given to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Charles Cunliffe Owen. In May 1814,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Charles Anthony took command of ''Star''. On 4 May, the British squadron sailed from Kingston with infantry and Royal Marines embarked. Yeo's squadron arrived off

Fort Oswego Fort Oswego was an 18th-century trading post in the Great Lakes region in North America, which became the site of a battle between French and British forces in 1756 during the French and Indian War. The fort was established in 1727 on the orders o ...

on 5 May. The following day at 06:00, the attack on Fort Oswego began. At 12:00, ''Star'' and ''Charwell'' (the renamed ''Earl of Moira'') escorted the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s and

bateau A bateau or batteau is a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. Th ...

x loaded with infantry towards the shore. The British attack was successful and the fort was captured. The town was looted of goods and the squadron returned to Kingston on 8 May. The squadron sailed again on 11 May and began a

naval blockade A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

of the main American naval base on Lake Ontario,

Sackett's Harbor Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sackett (surname), Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augu ...

on 19 May. ''Star'' was used to transport troops to the

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

and Niagara regions while the larger vessels of the squadron maintained the blockade. Following the British defeat at Sandy Creek where a detachment from the squadron had been captured or killed, Yeo lifted the blockade on 5 June and the British squadron returned to Kingston. Two

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the squadron had been captured at Sandy Creek, which led to a shuffle in commands. Commander Alexander Dobbs became the commanding officer of ''Star''. In July Dobbs took command of a detachment from the squadron composed of ''Star'', ''Charwell'', ''Magnet'' and the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

tender ''Vincent'' that sailed to the Niagara River to provide quick transportation for the forces under General

Gordon Drummond General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB (27 September 1772 – 10 October 1854) was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Drumm ...

's forces moving from

York, Upper Canada York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for th ...

into the Niagara region. Following the loss of ''Magnet'', which had been blown up to avoid capture, Dobbs' detachment remained penned up in the Niagara River by elements of the American squadron. Dobbs led a party of his men from his vessels to

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

where they operated under Drummond's command. Dobbs and his men captured two American schooners, and , on 12 August that had been left behind to aid the American army. However, the commander of (the renamed ''Beresford'') was killed in the action. The two prizes were taken down the Niagara River to Chippawa. On 15 August, Dobbs and his men were among the attackers during an assault on Fort Erie. Over 48 men in the party were injured, killed or missing with Dobbs among the wounded. On 20 October, the larger ships of Yeo's squadron arrived off the Niagara River, forcing the Americans to withdraw. ''Star'', ''Charwell'' and ''Netley'' came out to Yeo's vessel and disembarked the infantry reinforcements and supplies they carried for Drummond's army. This took until 22 October and the entire squadron returned to Kingston on 24 October. On 1 November, the squadron sailed again to Niagara, ferrying infantry to Fort George and returned with troops bound for Kingston. On 28 November, ''Montreal'' (the renamed ''Wolfe''), ''Niagara'' (the renamed ''Royal George''), ''Charwell'', ''Star'' and ''Netley'' sailed from Kingston to resupply the army in the Niagara region. They returned on 9 December. ''Star'' was fit for nothing but transport duties by 1815. In 1815, the vessel was placed under the command of Acting Lieutenant Massy Herbert. ''Star'' was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

into

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in June 1816. She was sold in 1837.

Citations

References

* * * * *

External links

Ken R. Macpherson, "List of Vessels Employed on British Naval Service on the Great Lakes, 1755-1875," Ontario History,vol. LV (1963): 173-79.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Melville Brigs of the Royal Navy War of 1812 ships of Canada War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom Great Lakes ships 1813 ships Ships built in Kingston, Ontario