History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS General Hunter |
Ordered | 1806 |
Builder | Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard, Upper Canada |
Laid down | 1806 |
Launched | 1807 |
Captured | By U.S. Navy 10 September 1813 |
United States | |
Name | U.S. Army Transport Hunter |
Acquired | 10 September 1813 |
Fate | Forced ashore in a violent gale on 19 August 1816 |
Notes | Hull still buried under the sand of Southampton beach in Ontario. Fully excavated in 2004 with all artifacts - and ship replica - now on display in the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre, Southampton, Ontario |
General characteristics as brig | |
Type | 10-gun brig |
Tons burthen | 93 tons |
Length | 54 ft (16 m) |
Beam | 18 ft (5 m) |
Draught | 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) |
Depth of hold | 8 ft (2 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Sail plan | Brig-rigged on two masts |
Complement | 28 |
Armament |
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HMS General Hunter was a 10-gun brig of the Upper Canada Provincial Marine then, in 1813, the Royal Navy for their squadron on Lake Erie. She was ordered and built as a schooner in 1806 to replace Hope, a Provincial Marine vessel that had run aground in 1805. General Hunter was launched in 1807, entering service that year. With the outbreak of the War of 1812, General Hunter was converted to a brig and rearmed. As part of the Lake Erie squadron, General Hunter was present at the Battle of Lake Erie where the United States Navy defeated the British and gained control of the lake. General Hunter was captured at the battle and taken into American service. With the ship's name shortened to Hunter, she was used as a transport for the rest of the war. Following the war, the ship was sold into mercantile service. In 1816, the ship ran aground in a storm on Lake Huron and wrecked. The ship's contents were salvaged, but the wreck was left to be buried under the sand. In 2004, the wreck became the site of archaeological excavations and artifacts were retrieved from the site and placed in museums.