hi,

I'm intrested in reading up on the French and British navies in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain. Do you guys have any suggestions I could look into? Also, are there any wooden models on these subjects? or would this be a scratch building project?
I should mention that I'm mostly intrested in the period between1700 and 1815, but also upto the 1866 Fienian raids...

Thanks,
Mike McGregor

I can't answer your questions, but I wanted to welcome you over to the floaty side. I wasn't even aware that the French had much in the way of sail on the Great Lakes, except for some exploration ships and traders. I'm familiar with the British and U.S. engagements fought in the Revolutionary war and War of 1812. I'm pretty sure there have been wooden kits on at least the smaller ships, sloops and such, in those wars but I couldn't tell you the kits.

I think the french had mosly armed sloops and row galleys in the upper St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain... I'm not too sure about the Great Lakes...

Try these
Signal Victory:The Lake Erie Campaign 1812-1813 by David Skaggs and Gerald Altoff

Warships of the Great Lakes by Robert Malcomson

Fighting Sail on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay by Barry Gough

All are available from the U.S. Naval Insitute book service at USNI.org

malcomson's book is good. i got it on sale at the local coles a few weeks ago for around $10.
it has many reprints of admeralty drawings that could be enlarged for model making.

-Peter

Now we're getting somewhere...

http://www.hhpl.on.ca/GreatLakes/Documents/ShipLists/BRA1835/default.asp?ID=c1 ***ooops, thats not the right address...*

http://www.hamilton-scourge.city.hamilton.on.ca/home.htm

http://www.warof1812.ca/provmarine.htm

http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=19354

http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=18973

http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=19113

http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=41087

now, can any one point me towards some info on French and British ships on the inland waterways between 1700-1755?

Thanks,
Mike.

For wooden model ships check out Modelexpo.com They discount their stuff all the time. Just know the names of what you are looking for and you might get lucky. About the only sailing ships made of plastic are the big ships of the line and of course the US frigates

I got the Malcomson book and "fighting ships of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay" for Christmas, so thats a start...

I was also thinking of this for a start:
http://www.historicships.com/TALLSHIPS/Panart/ArmedLaunch.htm

Mike.

Link for Model Expo:
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/cgi-bin/sgsh0101.exe?SKW=TWMF@&FNM=00&UID=!+USID!

Here are a couple of links to the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA. It is the home of the US brig Niagara(one of Oliver Hazard Perry's ships). The musueum is full of info on the war of 1812 as it applies to the naval battles of the great lakes. It is a great place to visit and I hope the web sight may be of help to you. If nothing else, maybe you could contact them with specific questions.


http://www.brigniagara.org/perry.htm
http://www.brigniagara.org/museum.htm
http://www.brigniagara.org/