Commemoration at the Hamilton & Scourge Naval Memorial Garden in Confederation Park on August 14
Hamilton, ON - August 8, 2016 - The City of Hamilton will commemorate the sinking of two United States Navy War of 1812 schooners in Lake Ontario at a ceremony in the Hamilton & Scourge Naval Memorial Garden in Confederation Park on Sunday, August 14 at 11 am.
The loss of 53 American sailors during the sinking of the Hamilton and Scourge in the early morning hours of August 8, 1813 represents the largest loss of life suffered by the United States Navy in one engagement during the War of 1812.
The Hamilton & Scourge Naval Memorial Garden is located inside Confederation Park near the Edgewater Pavilion and was established in 1983 by the City in cooperation with Hamilton Conservation Authority.
Inside the garden, a nautical flag-mast is flanked by 53 headstones which commemorate the loss of sailors from these two American schooners that capsized on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. Each headstone is also officially marked with a bronze plaque inscribed: National Society United States Daughters of 1812. In Honor of Service in the War of 1812.
Each year, members of the American Legion in Canada respectfully tend to the markers by placing a new star spangled banner on each one. American naval veterans form the flag party and march in procession as part of the ceremony.
The garden is also home to a new federal heritage marker, installed in June of 2013 on the 200th anniversary of the sinking.
The Hamilton and Scourge survive intact in 300 feet of water at the bottom of Lake Ontario. The site is a designated National Historic Site and a designated underwater archaeological site requiring special protection under the Ontario Heritage Act.
The City of Hamilton owns the vessels and is responsible for their stewardship and long-term management.
For more information on the Hamilton & Scourge and the commemoration event, please visit: www.hamilton.ca/HamiltonScourge.