(Provincial Marine merchant Schooner)

Identification & Site Information

• Year built / commandeered: Commandeered at Kingston, Ontario, June 25, 1812 (Wikipedia, Wikipedia)
• Type: Merchant Schooner, likely armed (2–4 guns) under Provincial Marine command
• Builder / Original owner: American merchant vessel owned by Ebenezer Hubbard; commandeered by British at Kingston (Wikipedia)

Final Disposition

• How lost: Sunk by cannon fire from Fort Niagara on November 21, 1812, while at anchor under Navy Hall in the Niagara River
• Final location: Niagara River (below Fort Niagara), Lake Ontario / Niagara corridor
• Losses: Likely none recorded beyond vessel loss; no further details on crew casualties

History & Chronology

• 25 June 1812: Seized at Kingston, Ontario by the Provincial Marine at the war’s outset, pressed into service on Lake Ontario, possibly armed and crewed by Provincial Marine personnel (Wikipedia)
• 2 November 1812: Stationed at York (Toronto) for inventory and stores inspection (Wikipedia)
• 21 November 1812: While anchored under Navy Hall in Niagara River, came under British/Provincial Marine control, was sunk by shore battery fire from Fort Niagara, executed by American forces defending Fort Niagara––her Hull was destroyed while at anchor (Wikipedia, Facebook)

Context & Significance

• Provincial Marine service: One of several small schooners commandeered and used by Britain’s Provincial Marine as lake patrol and supply vessels during the early months of the War of 1812
• Battle context: Sunk amid artillery engagements near Fort Niagara; demonstrates the vulnerability of small Provincial Marine craft when contested across the Niagara River during military operations. Fort Niagara’s guns played a key role in sinking Seneca (Facebook, Wikipedia)

Notable Links & References

• Encyclopedia entry summarizing Seneca’s naval service and loss (Wikipedia)
• Fort Niagara historical note confirming battery fire sank Seneca on Nov 21, 1812 (Facebook, Wikipedia)
• Provincial Marine documentation listing Seneca among vessels used during 1812 conflict (Wikipedia)
• Battle of Kingston Harbour and engagements context in 1812 (Wikipedia, Wikipedia)

Research Opportunities & Further Inquiry

• Archival sources to consult: Admiralty & Provincial Marine correspondence, Kingston dockyard service logs, muster rolls, Ordnance Records.
• Harbor mast and settlement charts: to locate likely wreck zone beneath or near former Fort Niagara site.
• Archaeological survey potential: there may be submerged remnants near Navy Hall anchorage zone; hydrographic mapping and magnetometer sweeps could identify possible remains.

Summary Table