Hms Sauk (uss Ohio – Lake Erie Schooner Shipwreck

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: HMS Sauk
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: Circa early 1810s
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Estimated Length: ~60–70 ft (18–21 m); Tonnage: 87 tons
• Registered Tonnage: 87 tons
• Location: Grand River Naval Depot, Port Maitland, Ontario
• Official Number: Not located in available records
• Original Owners: U.S. Navy; Royal Navy
• Number of Masts: Not applicable

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Schooner

Description

Originally built as a merchant vessel and later taken into U.S. Navy service as the USS Ohio, this schooner was captured by British forces during the War of 1812. After her capture on August 12, 1814, she was renamed HMS Sauk and integrated into the Royal Navy’s inland squadron on the Great Lakes. The name “Sauk” honours the Sauk people, Indigenous allies of the British during the war.

History

The USS Ohio served in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812, likely engaged in support and patrol roles in conjunction with other naval assets on Lake Erie. During a British raid led by Captain Alexander Dobbs near Fort Erie in August 1814, both the Ohio and Somers were captured. Following her capture, Ohio was recommissioned as HMS Sauk.

HMS Sauk was stationed at the newly established Grand River Naval Depot (Port Maitland, Ontario) where she, along with other vessels such as HMS Huron, HMS Tecumseth, and HMS Newash, supported the British naval presence and logistics across the Great Lakes. She was primarily used as a transport ship, moving men and supplies between posts, especially during the post-war transition.

Significant Incidents

• No significant incidents recorded.

Final Disposition

With the signing of the Rush-Bagot Agreement in 1817, which significantly demilitarized naval forces on the Great Lakes, the Sauk was placed into “ordinary” at the Grand River Naval Depot. This status entailed removal of her guns, masts, and rigging, though her hull remained intact and maintained for potential future use.

The depot continued operations into the 1830s, after which all such naval activities were drawn down, and vessels in ordinary like Sauk were either scrapped, sold, or left to decay. No specific records indicate the final fate of the Sauk.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Nil return. There are no confirmed discoveries or surveys identifying the remains of HMS Sauk.

Resources & Links

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HMS Sauk represents one of the many vessels that changed hands during the intense naval conflicts of the War of 1812. Her role following capture underlines the adaptability of the British forces and their strategic use of captured resources. Though she never saw major battle under British command, Sauk contributed to the infrastructure that maintained British presence on the Great Lakes. Her eventual disappearance into the administrative annals of post-war demilitarization marks a quiet end to a vessel that once represented American resistance and later, British control.