Provincial Marine
Encyclopedia
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 PM were designated HMS
, they were operated in more of a coast guard
manner than as a full fledged navy. Operations were maintained and staffed by the Royal Navy
. Most ships of the Provincial Marine were built in the Great Lakes
.
The Royal Navy
was responsible for all other bodies of waters off Canada
. During the War of 1812
, the Royal Navy also assumed direct control of the Provincial Marine's vessels in 1813, after the Provincial Marine performed poorly in 1812 against the Commodore Isaac Chauncey
's American Lake Ontario squadron. Commodore James Lucas Yeo
replaced most of the provincial officers with Royal Navy officers.
and the French Navy
had limited patrols in the water of the Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence River.
Some of the ships in the waterways included:
and remained in force until the Rush-Bagot Treaty
was signed in 1817. While the treaty banned naval activity in the Great Lakes
, the Provincial Marine was re-assigned under the waterborne arm of the Canadian Militia
and later under the Militia Department
. In 1910, the Provincial Marine was replaced by the Naval Service of Canada
(under the Naval Service Act of 1910
).
Lake Erie
Georgian Bay/Lake Huron
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, the St. Lawrence River and parts of Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
under British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
control. While ships of the PM were designated HMS
Her Majesty's Ship
Her or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
, they were operated in more of a coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
manner than as a full fledged navy. Operations were maintained and staffed by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Most ships of the Provincial Marine were built in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
was responsible for all other bodies of waters off Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the Royal Navy also assumed direct control of the Provincial Marine's vessels in 1813, after the Provincial Marine performed poorly in 1812 against the Commodore Isaac Chauncey
Isaac Chauncey
Isaac Chauncey was an officer in the United States Navy.-Biography:Chauncey, born in Black Rock, Connecticut, 20 February 1779, was appointed a Lieutenant in the Navy from 17 September 1798...
's American Lake Ontario squadron. Commodore James Lucas Yeo
James Lucas Yeo
Sir James Lucas Yeo KCB was a British naval commander who served in the War of 1812.Yeo was born in Southampton on 7 October 1782, and joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman at the age of 10. He first saw action as a lieutenant aboard a brig in the Adriatic Sea, and distinguished himself during the...
replaced most of the provincial officers with Royal Navy officers.
History
Prior to 19th Century, the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
had limited patrols in the water of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and St. Lawrence River.
Some of the ships in the waterways included:
- The Griffin - later as Frontenac (1816)
- Outaouaise - barque
- The Montcalm
- Les Evive (The Lively)
- Le George (George)
- Lactraguence
- Le Vigliant (The Vigilant)
- L'Ontario (The Ontario)
- La Marquise de Vaudrueil
- Le Victort
- La Huzalt
- La Louise
- Iroquois
- Seneca
- Oneida
- Onondago
- Mohawk
- Gladwin
- Lady Charlotte
- Victory
- Boston
- Brunswick
- Enterprise
- Mississaga
- Duke of Kent
- Cadwell
- Lady Dorchester (1789)
Creation of Great Lakes Navy
The service was created in 1812 to counter the activity of the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and remained in force until the Rush-Bagot Treaty
Rush-Bagot Treaty
The Rush-Bagot Treaty was a treaty between the United States and Britain ratified by the United States Senate on April 16, 1817 . The treaty provided for a large demilitarization of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, where many British naval arrangements and forts still remained...
was signed in 1817. While the treaty banned naval activity in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, the Provincial Marine was re-assigned under the waterborne arm of the Canadian Militia
History of the Canadian Army
The Canadian Army as such originally only existed under that name from November 1940 to February 1968. However, the term has been traditionally applied to the ground forces of Canada's military from Confederation in 1867 to the present...
and later under the Militia Department
Department of Militia and Defence (Canada)
The Department of Militia and Defence was the department responsible for military forces in Canada from 1906-1921.The Minister of Militia and Defence was in charge of this department....
. In 1910, the Provincial Marine was replaced by the Naval Service of Canada
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
(under the Naval Service Act of 1910
Naval Service Act of 1910
Naval Service Act of 1910 was the federal act that gave rise to the Royal Canadian Navy to replace the role of Royal Navy in protecting the sovereignty of the Canadian waters....
).
Bases
Lake Ontario- Kingston Royal Naval DockyardKingston Royal Naval DockyardThe 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:...
- Naval Shipyards, York (Upper Canada)Naval Shipyards, York (Upper Canada)Naval Shipyards, York was one of the shipyards of the Royal Navy on Lake Ontario. The yards was called for by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793 and operated from 1798 long before the town of York was populated and up to the War of 1812...
Lake Erie
- Grand River Naval DepotGrand River Naval DepotGrand River Naval Depot was a planned base on Lake Erie in what is now Port Maitland, Ontario, Canada.Located at the mouth of the Grand River, the naval base was to have been built as a second naval base on Lake Erie intended to complement the base at Navy Island...
- Amherstburg Royal Naval DockyardAmherstburg Royal Naval DockyardAmherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard was a Royal Navy yard from 1796 to 1813 in Amherstburg, Ontario. The yard comprised blockhouses, store houses, magazine, wood yard and wharf.Vessels built or serviced at the yard included:...
- Navy Island Royal Naval ShipyardNavy Island Royal Naval ShipyardNavy Island Royal Naval Shipyard was a Royal Navy yard in Ontario.Located on Navy Island in the Niagara River, it served as a French naval base in the early 18th century and was acquired by the British in 1763. The Royal Navy used it for their Lake Erie fleet during the War of 1812. Abandoned by...
Georgian Bay/Lake Huron
- Pentanguishene Naval YardPentanguishene Naval YardPenetanguishene Naval Yard was a Royal Navy yard from 1834 to 1856 in Ontario.The yard was originally located at the Wasaga Blockhouse in Drummond Island after the abandonment of Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard. Land was acquired in 1798 and a base finally built in 1813, but it was abandoned in 1815...
Fleet
- HMS CaledoniaHMS Caledonia (1810)HMS Caledonia was a British brig which saw service on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. The Caledonia was built in Malden in Upper Canada for the North West Company, and launched in 1807...
- HMS Confiance
- HMS Detroit
- HMS Duke of GloucesterHMS Duke of Gloucester (1813)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....
- HMS Earl of Moira
- HMS Nancy
- HMS Prince RegentHMS Prince Regent (1814)HMS Prince Regent was a 56-gun British warship that served on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. The Prince Regent was built at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Upper Canada and launched on 14 April 1814. Following the War of 1812 the frigate was renamed HMS Kingston on 9 December...
- HMS Princess Charlotte
- HMS Queen CharlotteHMS Queen CharlotteFour ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Queen Charlotte after Charlotte, queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.*The first was a first rate of 100 guns, built at Chatham and launched in 1790. She took part in several actions against the French navy, and flew the flag of...
- HMS Royal GeorgeHMS Royal George (1809)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 with a crew of 200....
- SimcoeSimcoe (ship)HMS Sir Sydney Smith was a 10-gun schooner, later altered to brig, of the Royal Navy in 1814. She saw service on the on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812....
- HMS Sir Isaac BrockHMS Sir Isaac BrockHMS Sir Isaac Brock was a warship which was destroyed before being completed at York, Upper Canada during the War of 1812. The ship was named after the famed hero of the war, Major General Sir Isaac Brock....
- HMS St Lawrence
- Buffalo - gunboat 1792
- Catherine - gunboat 1792
- Sophia - gunboat 1792
- Swift - gunboat 1798
- Sir Sydney Smith - schooner 1806
- Sir George Prevost - schooner 1813
- Psyche - frigate 1814
- Crystler - gunboat 1814
- * KingstonHMS Prince Regent (1814)HMS Prince Regent was a 56-gun British warship that served on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. The Prince Regent was built at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Upper Canada and launched on 14 April 1814. Following the War of 1812 the frigate was renamed HMS Kingston on 9 December...
- gunboat 1814, steam vessel 1838 - NiagaraHMS Royal George (1809)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 with a crew of 200....
- gunboat 1814 - Queenston - gunboat 1814
- Beckwith - transport 1816
- Brock - schooner 1817
- Canada - unfinished 1815
- Wolfe - unfinished 1815
- Mohawk - steam vessel 1843
- Cherokee - steam vessel 1841
- Watertown - passenger vessel 1864
- Montreal - gunboat
See also
- Canadian Coast GuardCanadian Coast GuardThe Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
- Royal Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian NavyThe history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
- Department of Marine and FisheriesFisheries and Oceans CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
- Department of TransportTransport CanadaTransport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
- Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...