Amherstburg Navy Yard
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Amherstburg Navy Yard (1796-1813) - A fortified British Navy Yard established in 1796 after the Revolutionary War in present day Amherstburg, Essex County, Ontario, Canada. Abandoned and burned by the British in 1813 during the War of 1812. Also known as King's Navy Yard.
HistoryPart of the Harbor Defense of Amherstburg.    A fortified British navy yard established in 1796 on the Detroit River as a replacement for the Detroit Navy Base. Served as a shipyard and supply post for the British Navy on Lake Erie and Lake Huron. An 1804 plan shows that the defenses included two blockhouses straddling a provision storehouse and a separate guardhouse. Fort Amherstburg was in close proximity. During the War of 1812 several warships were built at Amherstburg including the General Hunter and the Queen Charlotte. These ships participated in the British capture of Detroit on 16 Aug 1812. The situation was reversed on 10 Sep 1813 when Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie, The defeat made all the British installations along the lakes vulnerable and the decision was made to abandon the Navy Yard and Fort Amherstburg. The Navy Yard and Fort Amherstburg were abandoned and burned by the British garrison on 22 Sep 1813. The British returned to Amherstburg at the end of the war and reoccupied Fort Amherstburg but the Navy Yard was not rebuilt. A government wharf and storehouse were built and in 1831 a stone building was constructed for the Office of the Commissariat Department. That restored building is still in the park.
Current Status No remains of the Navy Yard, the Amherstburg Navy Yard National Historic Site is part of King's Navy Yard Park, Amherstburg, Essex County, Ontario, Canada.
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Visited: 16 Aug 2013
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