Queen Charlotte (1809)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Queen Charlotte
• Type: two-masted brig
• Year Built: 1809
• Builder: British Government
• Dimensions: Length 92 ft (28 m); Beam 26 ft (7.9 m); Depth of hold 11 ft (3.4 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 254 tons
• Location: Buffalo, New York
• Official Number: None
• Original Owners: William N. Dewitt
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Queen Charlotte began her life as a wooden, two-masted brig—a full-rigged war sloop designed for naval engagements. Built by the British Government in 1809 at Amherstburg, Ontario, she was constructed to serve in military operations on the Great Lakes. After her capture during the War of 1812, she was later converted into a commercial vessel in 1835, reflecting a common practice of repurposing former naval ships for civilian trade.

As a 16 or 17-gun armed sloop, the Queen Charlotte was part of the British Royal Navy’s efforts to maintain naval supremacy on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. After her capture by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in 1813 at the Battle of Lake Erie, she was abandoned and left submerged in Misery Bay, Pennsylvania.

Description

The Queen Charlotte was built in 1809 as part of the British naval fleet on the Great Lakes, designed for combat and defense during the rising tensions with the United States. She was stationed at Amherstburg, near Detroit, and was a key vessel in the British squadron operating on Lake Erie.

History

On September 10, 1813, during the Battle of Lake Erie, the Queen Charlotte was captured by U.S. forces under the command of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The battle marked a significant American victory, giving the United States control over Lake Erie and disrupting British supply lines. Following her capture, the Queen Charlotte was left to deteriorate in Misery Bay, near Erie, Pennsylvania.

After lying submerged for nearly two decades, the Queen Charlotte was raised and rebuilt as a commercial brig in 1835. She operated on Lake Erie under the ownership of William N. Dewitt of Albany, New York, with Captain A. N. Clark serving as her master. In her new role, she carried cargo and possibly passengers across the Great Lakes, marking a significant shift from her original military purpose.

Significant Incidents

• Cause of Loss: Stranded and Burned
• Date of Loss: Spring 1844
• Location: Buffalo, New York, Lake Erie

Final Disposition

While preparing for the early shipping season in Buffalo, the Queen Charlotte was lifted from her moorings by a spring freshet—an annual surge of water from melting snow and ice—and stranded high on the riverbank. Given her age and the height of her stranding, efforts to refloat her were abandoned. She was subsequently burned in place, although historical records do not specify whether the fire was intentional or an accident.

Despite the vessel’s destruction, some of her construction materials were salvaged and later used in the building of the steamer A. D. Patchin.

Current Condition & Accessibility

There are no known navigational hazards associated with the wreck of the Queen Charlotte, as the vessel was burned and dismantled following her stranding.

Resources & Links

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The Queen Charlotte represents a unique chapter in Great Lakes maritime history—a vessel that began as a British war sloop in 1809, was captured by Commodore Perry during the War of 1812, and later reborn as a commercial brig in 1835. Her final loss in 1844 at Buffalo, New York, due to a spring freshet and subsequent fire, marks the end of a vessel that witnessed both war and peace on Lake Erie. While her time as a military vessel was brief, her legacy endured through her commercial service and the reuse of her materials in other vessels, reflecting the resilience and adaptability of maritime operations in the 19th-century Great Lakes.