USS ''Growler'' was a 112-ton

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

, armed with ten 18-pounders and one 6-pounder, 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 ...

. The United States Navy purchased ''Growler'' on

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

in 1812. The British captured her in 1813 and renamed her HMS ''Chub'' or ''Chubb''. The Americans recaptured her at the

Battle of Lake Champlain The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadro ...

. She was sold in 1815.

American service and capture

''Growler'' cruised under the command of Lieutenant Sidney Smith as part of Commodore

Thomas Macdonough Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 31, 1783 – November 10, 1825) was an early-19th-century Irish-American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Macdonou ...

's squadron. Major George Taylor of the 100th Regiment captured ''Growler'' on 3 June 1813 on the Sorrell River near

Ile aux Noix Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Another ...

on the Canadian side of the lake and took her into 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 ...

as HMS ''Shannon''. They later renamed her HMS ''Chubb'' or ''Chub''.

British service and recapture

''Chub'' was under the command of Lieutenant James McGhie on 11 September 1814 at the Battle of Lake Champlain. McGhie was ordered to support in her attack on . ''Chub'' reached her station relatively unscathed and anchored. In the engagement ''Chub'' lost her main boom and bowsprit, and had her anchor cable severed. She drifted into the American line where she struck her colors to . She had lost six men killed and 16 wounded. At McGhie's court martial for the loss of his ship, the board severely reprimanded him for not coming into action properly and for failing to anchor properly.Hepper (1994), p.151.

Fate

After the Americans recaptured the vessel, the sloop-of-war saw no further service. The Americans sold her at

Whitehall, New York Whitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census. The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall. Hi ...

, in July 1815.

Notes

Citations

References

* Anon. (1908) ''Officers of the British Forces in Canada During the War of 1812-15''. (Welland Tribune Print). * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Growler (1812-2) Age of Sail sloops War of 1812 ships of the United States Sloops of the United States Navy War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom 1812 ships