Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

General Simcoe / Sir Sidney Smith / Magnet (1797–1814)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Original Name: General Simcoe
• Later Names: Sir Sidney Smith (1813), Magnet (1814)
• Vessel Type: Merchant schooner converted to armed naval schooner
• Tonnage (Builder’s Old Measurement): 137 tons
• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1
• Masts: 2 (fore‑and‑aft rigged schooner)
• Original Role: Merchant trade on Lake Ontario; occasionally military transport prior to full conversion
• Armament (in naval service): 12–14 guns

Construction & Ownership:

• Year Built: 1797 (likely laid down 1793, launched by 1797)
• Builder: Kingston Royal Dockyard, Kingston, Upper Canada (Ontario)
• Owner (original): Provincial merchant service under Upper Canada authorities; requisitioned by Royal Navy during War of 1812

Final Location & Loss:

• Date of Loss: 5 August 1814
• Cause: Deliberate explosion to prevent capture by U.S. forces
• Location: Approximately 10 miles west of the mouth of the Niagara River, Lake Ontario
• Cargo at Time of Loss: Munitions and military stores
• Casualties: Not documented; presumed minimal as crew evacuated before explosion

Vessel Description & Technical Notes

• Original Use: Merchant schooner operating out of York (modern Toronto) and Kingston, transporting trade goods and possibly military provisions in peacetime.
• Conversion to War Service:
  • 1813: Evaluated by the British for Lake Ontario squadron service.
  • Renamed Sir Sidney Smith, a 12‑gun armed schooner.
  • 1814: Renamed Magnet for operational security, as the Royal Navy cycled names among vessels to confuse U.S. intelligence.
• Naval Role: Gunboat and transport for British forces during the War of 1812, participating in raids, escorts, and supply runs to Niagara frontier posts.
• Notable Action:
  • Battle of Sackets Harbor (29 May 1813) – Participated in British assault alongside Wolfe and Royal George.

Chronology & Operational History

• 1793–1797: Laid down and launched at Kingston as General Simcoe, named for John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.
• 1797–1812: Merchant service on Lake Ontario, ferrying trade goods between York, Kingston, and Niagara.
• 11 Nov 1812: Struck a shoal while fleeing U.S. forces near Kingston; sank but was later refloated and repaired.
• Spring 1813: Requisitioned and armed by British naval command. Renamed Sir Sidney Smith; fitted with 12 guns.
• 29 May 1813: Saw combat in the Battle of Sackets Harbor, NY.
• Spring 1814: Renamed Magnet; continued in British Lake Ontario squadron under Captain Pring.
• 5 Aug 1814: While carrying gunpowder and munitions from York toward the Niagara frontier, sighted by Commodore Isaac Chauncey’s U.S. squadron.
  • Crew abandoned ship and set charges, destroying the vessel to avoid capture.

Final Disposition & Archaeology

• Wreck Type: Explosion and burn debris
• Final Position: ~10 miles west of Niagara River mouth in Lake Ontario
• Depth: Unknown; likely shallow to mid‑depth offshore zone
• Status:
  • No confirmed modern archaeological survey of Magnet remains exists.
  • Explosions and 200+ years of sediment likely scattered or buried remains.
• Potential Survey Methods: Side-scan sonar and magnetometer sweep in the reported zone; historic hydrographic charts may aid pinpointing the loss site.

Historical Significance

• The General Simcoe / Magnet is a rare example of a War of 1812 Lake Ontario naval vessel that transitioned from merchant trade to naval combat.
• Represents Upper Canada’s early naval mobilization and the vulnerability of Great Lakes vessels to both capture and intentional destruction.
• Its deliberate destruction underscores Royal Navy defensive strategies on Lake Ontario during the final phase of the War of 1812.

Primary Sources & References

• Maitland, Leslie. The Battle for Lake Ontario: War of 1812 Naval History. Canadian Heritage.
• Naval Documents of the War of 1812 (U.S. Navy Dept.)
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes – vessel index and incident logs
• Great Lakes Ships – BGSU – archival enrollment records
• Buffalo Gazette and Niagara Herald (1814) – reports of explosion to avoid capture
• Parks Canada – Underwater Archaeology Service – potential future survey site

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

• Region: Lake Ontario, Upper Canada
• Vessel Type: Armed schooner / merchant
• Cause of Loss: Self‑destruction to prevent capture
• Historical Context: War of 1812 naval operations
• Archaeological Interest: Scattered explosive debris, potential ordnance remains

magnet-general-simcoe-sir-sidney-smith-1797 1814-08-05 14:25:00