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The ''Diana'' was built at Oswego , New York in 1809 for merchant Matthew McNair. She found her way into the U.S. Navy on October 21, 1812 , when she was purchased to be based out of Sackets Harbor . Her name was changed to ''Hamilton'' on November 5, 1812, in honour of the Secretary of the American Navy Paul Hamilton .1 The ''Hamilton'' was not a large specialized war vessel; instead, she was a simple Merchant ship that was pressed into service for the American Navy just prior to the War of 1812.2 With the conversion of the ''Hamilton'' to a Man Of War problems came up such as the decks not being strong enough to carry naval guns and the Bulwarks not being high enough to provide enough protection for the gun crews.3 The 76-ton ''Hamilton'' was armed with eight 18-pound Carronades and one swiveling 24-or 32-pound Cannon , or "Long Tom" mounted amidships. The ''Hamilton'' and the ''Scourge'' sank during a sudden squall off Fourteen Mile Creek near present-day Hamilton, Ontario around 2:00 am on August 7, 1813. The sinkings took more than 80 men to their death. REFERENCES |
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