08/08/2026
Today we remember the sinking of the USS Hamilton & USS Scourge during the War of 1812 on August 8, 1813. The ships and crew are remembered in Hamilton, Canada in the War of 1812 Memorial Garden.
On 8 August 1813, two American naval schooners, USS Hamilton and USS Scourge, sank in a violent and sudden squall on Lake Ontario, off the shoreline near present-day St. Catharines.
Eight men survived from each of the ships, but 53 men lost their lives when both went down around 2am.
Both ships had originally been merchant schooners; the Hamilton had originally been an American ship called the 'Diana' that was bought by the US Navy; and the Scourge had been a British ship called 'The Lord Nelson' that was seized by American authorities in 1812 on suspicion of being involved in smuggling. Both were converted into US Navy vessels when war broke out.
The site includes 53 cenotaphs and several information signs.
Check out the memorial on our website at:
https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=3572&MemID=4985
Search for other War of 1812 memorials by using our search function (upper right corner of the website) and select War of 1812.
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