Battlefield Detectives
The War of 1812: The Chesapeake and the Shannon
TV-PG
S3 E8 Dec 22, 20058.0
Documentary examining the naval duel between two (38-gun) frigates during the War of 1812 (America v Canada/Britain). On 1st June 1813, Captain Philip Broke of the British frigate HMS Shannon issued a challenge to the USS Chesapeake, moored in Boston Harbour. Captain James Lawrence accepted and sailed forth to his doom. The short but brutal battle left 71 dead, including Lawrence, while Broke was among the 155 injured. The captured American crew was imprisoned in Nova Scotia while the Chesapeake was repaired and joined the Royal Navy. It was broken up in 1819 and its timbers used to build a mill in Hampshire, UK, that still bears the ship's name.
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