USS Lawrence (1813)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Lawrence.
Raised hulk of Lawrence, Misery Bay, Erie, Pennsylvania, 1875
History
United States
NamesakeJames Lawrence
Awarded18 February 1813
BuilderAdam and Noah Brown
Launched24 May 1813
CommissionedAugust 1813
Out of service1815
FateSunk for preservation 1815, raised 1875, lost in 1876 fire
General characteristics
Class and typeNiagara-class brig
Displacement493 tons
Length109 ft 9 in (33.45 m)
Beam32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)
PropulsionSail
Complement134
Armament
  • 2 × long 12-pounders
  • 18 × short 32-pounder carronades

USS Lawrence was one of two 493-ton Niagara-class brigs (more correctly: snows) built at Erie, Pennsylvania, by Adam and Noah Brown under the supervision of Sailing Master Daniel Dobbins and Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry, for United States Navy service on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

Battle of Lake Erie, Ballou's Pictorial 1856

She was commissioned in early August 1813, named in honor of Captain James Lawrence who had died June 4, 1813, in a famous battle with HMS Shannon. Lawrence quickly began operations with a voyage to Detroit, Michigan, in search of the opposing British squadron. During the 10 September 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, Lawrence served as flagship for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry until she was disabled by British fire. Perry then transferred to her sister ship, Niagara, from which he fought the battle to a successful conclusion. The British never took physical possession of the surrendered Lawrence and so Perry automatically regained the ship at the end of the battle with no recapturing action needed. Perry received the enemy squadron's surrender on the deck of the Lawrence.

In mid-1815, following the end of hostilities, Lawrence was sunk in Misery Bay on Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, in order to preserve her hull. Her submerged hulk was sold in 1825 and, except for a brief examination in 1836, remained underwater for five more decades.

In September 1875, her remains were raised, cut into sections and transported by rail to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was exhibited during The U.S. Centennial International Exhibition of 1876. The pieces were not reassembled, instead being laid out in a way to convey the ship's dimensions and shape.[citation needed] It was announced in May 1876 that come the end of the exhibition her remains would be cut up and sold for canes, chairs, and the like, to relic hunters.[1][2] However, in December 1876, after the exposition closed for good, the ornate pavilion at the showgrounds caught fire and the exhibit was reduced to ashes.[3]

Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, was named for the ship.

  1. ^ "USS Lawrence (1813)". The Somerset Press. 26 May 1876. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "'We Have Met the Enemy and They are Ours'". Camden Daily Courier. Camden, New Jersey. September 8, 1913. Retrieved September 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Frew, David (2012). Perry's Lake Erie Fleet: After the Glory. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1609496104. Retrieved 7 September 2019.