Shipbuilding on Lake Ontario Further Reading Shipbuilding on Lake Ontario The Americans on Lake Ontario More On Naval Battles The Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Plattsburg

The British on Lake Ontario “Both commanders suffered from a common naval malady, fearing defeat more than they desired victory.” James L. Mooney By keeping Chauncey occupied with shipbuilding, Yeo is fulfilling the role Sir George Provost has assigned him: to help defend Upper Canada. For the British, there are other, less fortunate consequences to this Lake Ontario shipbuilding frenzy. Yeo’s ever-increasing demands for building materials, naval personnel and armament is not only a nightmarish problem of logistics, it also prevents vitally-needed resources from reaching other theatres of war. On the Atlantic Coast, four British ships lie idle, their crews “borrowed” to man Yeo’s new ships on Lake Ontario. On Lake Erie, Captain Barclay is unable to fully arm and man his ships because Yeo doesn’t want to intercept men and cannon meant for the Lake Erie fleet and use them on his own Lake Ontario ships. Barclay’s defeat at the Battle of Lake Erie can be blamed to a large extent on James Yeo himself. Similarly, the British defeat at the Battle of Plattsburg Bay is due in no small part to Yeo’s shipbuilding mania on Lake Ontario.