HMS Duke of Gloucester (1807)

Brig of the Royal Navy

HMS Duke of Gloucester (or Gloucester) was a 10 gun brig of the Royal Navy which was launched at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Ontario. A Provincial Marine vessel, during the War of 1812, the brig took part in several of the early engagements between British and American naval forces on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. While being repaired at York, Duke of Gloucester was captured by Americans in 1813. A month later the British destroyed the brig at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor.

In 1806, plans were drawn up for a vessel to replace the aging Provincial Marine gunboat Swift. The new vessel was constructed at Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Kingston, Upper Canada under Master Shipwright John Dennis. When Duke of Gloucester was launched in May 1807, the Provincial Marine's role on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River was restricted to the transport of provisions and personnel for the colonial government and the British Army. The vessel measured 165 tons burthen and Duke of Gloucesters draught was shallow enough to allow the brig access to any port in any season. The vessel was armed with ten guns. By the War of 1812, the vessel was armed with six long guns and rated a schooner.

After entering service, Duke of Gloucester was retained for exclusive use by the colonial government. By 1812, the hull had rotted and a replacement, Prince Regent, was ordered. At the onset of the war, Duke of Gloucester was commanded by Lieutenant Francis Gauvreau. Duke of Gloucester was part of the squadron under the command of Master Commandant Hugh Earl that sailed to attack Sackett's Harbor on 19 July 1812. While the three larger vessels in the squadron, , Earl of Moira and Prince Regent attacked the American fortifications, Duke of Gloucester remained offshore. The attack failed and the British withdrew. Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Moira were then ordered to capture a group of American merchant vessels sheltering at Ogdensburg, New York. Commodore Isaac Chauncey sent the schooner Julia to intercept the British vessels and the two forces met off Elizabethtown, Upper Canada on 31 July. Earl of Moira fired and missed Julia, but the strength of musket fire coming from the British shoreline forced the Americans to retreat to Ogdensburg. The following day, Earl of Moira and Duke of Gloucester began a naval blockade of Ogdensburg. The blockade was in effect until the end of the month when a temporary halt to the conflict allowed Julia and the merchant vessels to sail for Lake Ontario. For the rest of the year the squadron, with the exception of Royal George, performed the traditional duties of the Provincial Marine, transporting supplies along Lake Ontario. During the winter of 1812–1813, Duke of Gloucester was sent to York, Upper Canada. However, by 1813, Duke of Gloucester was no longer seaworthy and was un rigged. Duke of Gloucester was being repaired at York, with the intent of increasing the vessel's armament to 16 guns when the Americans briefly captured the colonial capital in 1813. Chauncey stripped the town of guns and supplies and towed the schooner back to Sackett's Harbor, New York. Renamed York, the schooner was converted to a powder hulk at Sackett's Harbor. York was herself damaged by the British a month later on 29 May 1813 in the Battle of Sackett's Harbor.