A Few Nautical Notes
"two Ships, two Brigs, one Schooner + one Sloop"
ship = three masts, with square sails, rigged perpendicular to the center line of the vessel
brig = two masts, with square sails, rigged perpendicular to the center line of the vessel
schooner = two masts, with triangular sails, rigged parallel to the center line of the vessel
sloop = one mast, with triangular sails, rigged parallel to the center line of the vessel
"two ships" = HMS Detroit and HMS Queen Charlotte
"two brigs" = HMS Lady Prevost and HMS General Hunter
"one schooner" = HMS Chippewa
"one sloop" = HMS Little Belt
Queen Charlotte was Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III, Queen of the British Empire. Charlottesville, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, are named for her as well.
Lady Prevost was Catherine Anne Phipps, wife of General Sir George Prevost, commander of the British armies in Canada.
General Hunter was Peter Hunter, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada until his sudden death shortly before the vessel which was named in his honor was launched.
USS Lawrence and USS Niagara were "ship-rigged brigs," meaning they had two masts (= brig) with square sails rigged perpendicular to the center line of the vessel (i.e. rigged like a ship = ship-rigged).
Capt. Lawrence's USS Chesapeake, as well as the other original ships of the U.S. Navy (United States, Constellation, Constitution, Congress and President) were classed as frigates, meaning they were full ships, having three masts with square sails rigged perpendicular to the center line, and specifically warships, with a single gun deck. But these were very unique frigates: large, heavy, and well-armed, but also faster than ships usually included in that class. This happened by deliberate design, before their first planks were ever laid down, and gave them, as was intended, a great advantage in single battle. Constitution, "Old Ironsides," is still afloat, a museum ship moored in Boston Harbor, and is still a commissioned warship in the United States Navy, which is to say it is still considered to be a fighting ship on active duty. It's the oldest vessel in the American fleet.
In addition to James Lawrence, Richard Somers and John Trippe were also U.S. Navy officers and friends of Oliver Hazard Perry.
Perry is often referred to as "Commodore," "Captain," or "Admiral." He was in no way at any point in his short life an Admiral. Commodore and Captain are correct in their ways, but at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, Perry bore the rank of Master Commandant. Master Commandant, sometimes called Master and Commander, is a rank not used in the U.S. Navy any more. Its modern day counterpart would be the rank of Commander.
Commodore refers to an officer who commands more than one vessel, regardless of his or her formal rank. Hence Master Commandant Perry was also Commodore Perry in command of the several vessels of the Lake Erie fleet.
In naval tradition, the commander of a vessel is by courtesy referred to as captain, regardless of actual formal rank, which may or may not be Captain. Hence Master Commandant Perry was also captain of the Lawrence, and then the Niagara, as well as the schooner Revenge when his rank was Lieutenant. At the Battle of Lake Erie the vessels were commanded by Lieutenants, Master Commandants, and various types of Masters, and each of them was captain of his vessel. After the Battle of Lake Erie Perry was promoted to the formal rank of Captain, and that was the rank he held when he died.
The naval rank of Captain is a fairly high one, analogous to a Colonel in modern land and air forces. A naval Captain would be senior to a Master Commandant or Commander, and subordinate to an Admiral.
Lieutenants came in various ratings, from first down to fifth or even sixth, as well as Midshipman and "Passed Midshipman," and any of them at any particular time might be "acting" rather than formal and official.
For three generations, from the founding of the country until the 1840s, the War of 1812 stood as America's only declared national war, and its contemplation an occasion for patriotic expression. No lesser lights than those listed below were as fascinated by this war, its naval aspects in particular, as you are. With the information below any competent librarian can put these works in your hands (or on your screen). Ask one to. The War of 1812 was a big deal.
Cooper, James Fenimore. The Battle of Lake Erie: or, Answers to Messrs. Burges, Duer, and Mackenzie. H. & E. Phinney, 1843.
Irving, Washington. "Captain James Lawrence." Irving's Works, Geoffrey Crayon Edition, Vol. XIX, Biographies and Miscellanies, Pierre M. Irving, ed. Orig. pub. 1813. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1866. 45-73.
Irving, Washington. "Commodore Perry." Irving's Works, Geoffrey Crayon Edition, Vol. XIX, Biographies and Miscellanies, Pierre M. Irving, ed. Orig. pub. 1813. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1866. 87-111.
Mahan, Alfred Thayer. Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812, Vols. 1 and 2. Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, 1905.
Roosevelt, Theodore. The Naval War of 1812. G.P. Putnam and Sons, 1882.
Not to mention:
O'Brian, Patrick. The Fortune of War. W.W. Norton and Company, 1979.
The War of 1812 was a big deal.