USS Somers-- Part 2

On Augyst 4, 1814, Barclay's fleet withdrew and the Americans were able to get all their ships together and this set the stage for the Battle of Lake Erie.  Perry took his fleet to Put-in-Bay, an island in Lake Erie, where he could threaten Brigadier General Proctor's line of supply and communication and keep an eye on Barclay, who was at Fort Malden, Amherstburg, Upper Canada.

This move forced Barclay to come out and the fight was on.  The HMS Detroit had just joined the British fleet and was Barclay's flagship while Perry's flagship was the USS Lawrence.

The British had the advantage of more long-range cannons.  The Somers fought the smaller British warships Queen Charlotte and Hunter in the first part of the battle, but later switched to engaging the Little Belt and Lady Prevost.

In the end, the whole British squadron surrendered and the U.S. had naval supremacy on Lake Erie until the end of the war.

The Somers, however, was captured by the British off Fort Erie some eleven months later, August 12, 1814 and the Somers became the HMS Somers.  I was unable to find anything about her career as a British ship.I found out elsewhere that the Somers was named for Richar Somers, a U.S. Navy hero of the First Barbary War.

--Brock-Perry