Penetanguishene Naval Yard was a

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 ...

yard from 1834 to 1856 in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Land was first acquired in 1798 near

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a populat ...

and a base finally built in 1813, but it was abandoned in 1815 at the end of 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 ...

. It was reinstated in 1816 and remained in naval service until 1834. The base served as the headquarters of the

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

fleet of the

Provincial Marine Provincial Marine was a coastal protection service in charge of the waters in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and parts of Lake Champlain under British control. While ships of the Provincial Marine were designated HMS, they were ope ...

until 1834. The navy transferred the base to the army and continued until 1856. The base also served northwestern supply routes and provided general surveillance of the upper

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. The navy base and army depot comprise 15 buildings, including: * officers barracks * warehouses * offices * King's Wharf * 3 storehouses Vessels built or stationed here: * ''Bee'' - gunboat * ''Minos'' - gunboat * ''Mohawk'' - steamer * ''Tecumseh'' - schooner * ''Newash'' - brigantine * ''Mosquito'' - gunboat * ''Wasp'' - gunboat * unnamed

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

1814 The base is now rebuilt as part of the Penetanguishene's Historic Naval and Military Establishment. B. Napier Simpson, Jr. 1925-1978, a restoration architect in Ontario devoted his professional life to raising public awareness of the importance of heritage conservation including the Penetanguishene's Historic Naval and Military Establishment. project,http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_5338_1.html Ontario Heritage Trust B. Napier Simpson, Jr. (1925-1978) now known as Discovery Harbour.

References

External links

Canadian Historical Naval Ships and Yards

The History of Penetanguishene

Ships from the age of sail

{{Royal Navy shore establishments Military history of Canada Royal Navy bases in Canada Naval history of Canada Royal Navy dockyards in Canada Lake Huron 1813 establishments in Canada Military installations established in 1813 Military history of the Great Lakes

See also

References

External links