Penetanguishene Naval Yard was a Royal Navy yard from 1834 to 1856 in Ontario.
Penetanguishene Naval Yard | |
---|---|
Penetanguishene, Ontario | |
Type | Shipyard, dockyard |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Royal Navy (Provincial Marine) |
Site history | |
Built | 1813 |
In use | 1813–1856 |
Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | Lake Huron base for Provincial Marine/RN 1813-1834; British Army base 1834-1856 |
Land was first acquired in 1798 near Penetanguishene and a base finally built in 1813, but it was abandoned in 1815 at the end of the War of 1812. It was reinstated in 1816 and remained in naval service until 1834.
The base served as the headquarters of the Lake Huron fleet of the Provincial Marine 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 navy base and army depot comprise 15 buildings, including:
Vessels built or stationed here:
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, [1] now known as Discovery Harbour.[ citation needed ]
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.
Penetanguishene 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 community has a population of 8,962 in the Canada 2016 Census.
USS Merrimack, also improperly Merrimac, was a steam frigate, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War. The CSS Virginia then took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads in the first engagement between ironclad warships.
Royal Navy Dockyards were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial complexes in Britain.
Three vessels and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Bee, after the insect, the bee. A third ship was ordered but never completed:
HMS Royal George was a British 20-gun wooden sloop of the Provincial Marine, and subsequently, the Royal Navy, operating on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. The vessel took part in several Engagements on Lake Ontario and was the flagship of the Provincial Marine at the First Battle of Sackett's Harbor. In 1814, the vessel was renamed Niagara. Following the war, the sloop was converted to a transport and sold in 1837.
HMS Duke of Gloucester was a 10-gun brig of the Royal Navy which was launched at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Ontario. A Provincial Marine vessel, during the War of 1812, the brig took part in several of the early engagements between British and American naval forces on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. While being repaired at York, Duke of Gloucester was captured by Americans in 1813. A month later the British destroyed the brig at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor.
The series of Engagements on Lake Huron left the British in control of the lake and their Native American allies in control of the Old Northwest for the latter stages of the War of 1812.
Captain John Moberly was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the son of an English merchant, Edward Moberly, a freeman of the Russia Company. He entered the Navy in 1801 when he was only 12 and by 1815 had become a post Captain, serving on a number of ships.
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.
Navy Island Royal Naval Shipyard was a Royal Navy yard in Ontario.
Grand River Naval Depot was a planned base on Lake Erie in what is now Port Maitland, Ontario, Canada.
Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard was a Provincial Marine and then a Royal Navy yard from 1796 to 1813 in Amherstburg, Ontario, situated on the Detroit River. The yard comprised blockhouses, storehouses, magazine, wood yard and wharf. The yard was established in 1796 to support the Upper Canada Provincial Marine after Great Britain ceded a pre-existing shipyard on the Detroit River to the United States. Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard constructed four warships for the Lake Erie detachment of the Provincial Marine before and during the War of 1812. In 1813 the dockyard was abandoned and destroyed when the British retreated and never reopened. In 1928, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
The Naval Shipyards were naval shipbuilding facilities used by the Provincial Marine and the Royal Navy in York, Upper Canada. The naval shipyards were ordered by the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada John Graves Simcoe in 1793, and were opened in 1798.
HMS Wolfe was a 20-gun sloop-of-war, launched at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard at Kingston, Upper Canada, on 22 April 1813. She served in the British naval squadron in several engagements on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. Upon her launch, Wolfe was made the flagship of the squadron until larger vessels became available. Along with the naval engagements on Lake Ontario, Wolfe supported land operations in the Niagara region and at the Battle of Fort Oswego. Following the war, the vessel was laid up in reserve and eventually sold in 1832.
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 operated in more of a coast guard manner than as a full-fledged navy. Most ships of the Provincial Marine were built on the Great Lakes.
USS Sandoval was an Alvarado-class gunboat acquired by the United States Navy from the Spanish as a prize-of-war. Duties assigned her by the Navy included patrolling coastal and river waterways, and, later, acting as a "practice ship" for the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and for the New York Naval Militia as well.
St. James on-the-Lines is a historic Anglican garrison church in Penetanguishene, Ontario. The church is still in use today serving as the Anglican parish church in Penetanguishene for services from Easter to Thanksgiving. The church is protected by a heritage conservation easement under the Ontario Heritage Act. There are two suggested origins for its full name. The first suggestion comes from its location on the lines of communication or road from the former military establishment at Penetanguishene to the south. The second possible meaning is from the old Victorian military usage of Lines for the rows of tents or buildings in a military camp. The church was constructed close to the original military establishment buildings which lined the road.
CSS Pamlico was a sidewheel steamer that served in the Confederate States Navy during the early stages of the American Civil War. Originally a passenger vessel on Lake Pontchartrain, she was purchased by Confederate authorities on July 10, 1861, and converted into a gunboat. She participated in two minor naval actions in the vicinities of Horn Island and Ship Island in December, before taking part in two more small battles defending the Pass Christian area in March and April 1862. In late April, Union Navy ships passed the defenses of New Orleans, Louisiana. After ferrying Confederate troops out of the city, Pamlico was burned by her crew on Lake Pontchartrain on April 25 to prevent capture.