Lake Erie

We visited the Niagara Maritime Museum and were once again cursed by lack of time and the season.  The USS Niagara was winterized, but we did get a 2-on-1 tour under the canvas coverings with a Navy vet docent, who was more than happy to spend an hour on board with us, describing the Battle of Lake Erie and the ship.

This naval battle was as crucial as Clark's victory at Ft Sackville in securing the western frontier during the War of 1812 and driving the British from that theater, so it was nice to tie the two together in our history thread.

Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry took his Great Lakes fleet against the British' heavier ships on 10 Sep 1813 knowing he had a favorable wind and the Brits were short on supplies.  His original flagship, the Lawrence, was badly battered by three British ships, but when Perry transferred his flag to the as yet unengaged Niagara, he smashed into the British fleet and sealed their doom, accepting their surrender shortly after.  Removing their fleet from the Great Lakes also opened up their forts in place like Detroit.

The ship on display now is a replica built in 1988 and at 196' is longer than the photo does justice.  It was designed to sit low in the water, so below deck, the ceiling is only 5', so we did a lot of sitting as he described life in the US Navy in the early 19th century!  But the replica is true to original construction, fully operational (though modernized to meet Coast Guard requirements) and will be involved in a reenactment in 2013 with 7 other tall ships.  Definitely worth the visit if you have any curiosity about Perry, tall ships or Lake Erie.



 

The retired Army officer and retired surgeon working on this 1/2"=1' scale model have over 5,000 hours into it, including hand-tying all of the tiny knots.  All of the rigging works.  They love their baby and really don't know what they'll do with their time when she's complete early next year...

The Moore Monument located on Presque Peninsula gave Sophia her first glimpse of the true size of the Great Lakes...

 

 

which includes lighthouses.  For some reason I love lighthouses and will drive a long way to see them... right up there with covered bridges and cupolas on old barns.  Probably some deep-rooted maritime explanation for my fascination.  Or maybe just 'cause they're pretty, functional, and near seafood!

Saw the sign on the way out of Erie, PA and had to stop in and visit.  Third generation dealership ownership.  Nice salesman didn't even try to talk me out of UPLNDR - maybe it was the deer hide hanging from the front spare...