The first USS ''Hamilton'' was a United States Navy schooner which served on Lake Ontario from 1812 to 1813 during the War of 1812.
''Hamilton'' was built at Oswego, New York, Oswego, New York (state), New York, as the merchant ship ''Diana'' in 1809 for the merchant Matthew McNair. On 21 October 1812, the U.S. Navy purchased ''Diana'' for use on Lake Ontario. ''Diana'' was based at Sackets Harbor, New York. Her name was changed to USS ''Hamilton'' on 5 November 1812, in honor of the United States Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton (politician), Paul Hamilton (1762–1816).
''Hamilton'' was not a large or specialized warship; instead, she was a simple ship that was pressed into U.S. Navy service.
With the conversion of ''Hamilton'' to a man-of-war problems came up such as the Deck (ship), decks not being strong enough to carry naval guns and the Architectural Glossary, bulwarks not being high enough to provide enough protection for the gun crews.
Nonetheless, the 76 tons burthen ''Hamilton'' was armed with eight 12-pounder carronades and one swiveling 24-or 32-pounder "Long Tom" cannon mounted amidships.
''Hamilton'', under the command of a Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant Walter Winter, and the schooner sank during a sudden squall off Fourteen Mile Creek near present-day Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, around 2:00 a.m. on 8 August 1813.
Sixteen men survived from the two ships, but the sinkings took more than 80 men to their deaths.
Ned Myers, a survivor of ''Scourge'', told his story to James Fenimore Cooper;
according to Myers, about eight men from ''Hamilton'' were saved and about 42 were lost.
The site of the sunken ships was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.
Hamilton and Scourge
National Register of Historic Places The ''Ontario Heritage Act'' was amended in 2005 to provide special protection to the wrecks of ''Hamilton'' and ''Scourge'' because of their historical and cultural significance and because they contain human remains.
References
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External links
US Navy Library entry on loss of USS Hamilton
August 1813 letter reporting Loss of Hamilton and Scourge
Ned Myers account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton (1812)
War of 1812 ships of the United States
Great Lakes ships
Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario
Maritime incidents in 1813
Ships built in Oswego, New York
1809 ships
Schooners of the United States Navy
Disasters in Ontario
Shipwrecks of Canada