USS Somers ( 1812 ) USS " Somers " was a schooner , formerly the " Catherine " , purchased by the United States Navy in 1812 . She was purchased for $ 5 , 500 from Jacob Townsend , a pioneer and one of the first settlers of Lewiston , NY and purveyor of goods on the Great Lakes . She fought in the War of 1812 under the command of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry on Lake Erie and Lake Huron , and took part in the capture of the British Squadron on 10 September 1813 . She was captured by the British in 1814 , and taken into service as . Service history . When purchased , she was penned up in the Niagara River during the spring of 1813 by powerful British batteries which commanded the river from its Canadian bank at Fort Erie . Late in May , an American joint Army - Navy operation captured Fort George . This victory enabled Perry to get " Somers " , the brig , and three other schooners out from the Niagara to the open waters of Lake Erie . The American ships proceeded along the southern shore of the lake to Presque Isle , where Perry had been constructing more powerful warships , brigs and . However , the draft of the new American vessels was too great for them to sail easily across the bar off Presque Isle to Lake Erie . Perry ' s problem was further complicated by the fact that the British fleet , under Commodore Robert Heriot Barclay , cruised off the American base , ready to attack any United States ship which attempted to emerge . Of course , the bar , which prevented the Americans from getting out , also kept Barclay ' s fleet from entering the harbor to destroy Perry ' s squadron . Barclay ended the stalemate on 2 August when he sailed away from Presque Isle . Perry took full advantage of the opportunity by landing Lawrence ' s guns and using two large scow s as pontoons to further lift the brig . On the morning of 5 August , just after " Lawrence " had crossed the bar and before her guns had been replaced , the British fleet reappeared . " Somers " and her sister schooners sailed out and opened fire on the enemy . However , Barclay , not realizing that Lawrence was helpless , replied with a few rounds at the schooners and retired . Once Perry had both brigs - rearmed and ready for battle on the lake , the stage was set for trial by combat . Perry sailed his squadron to Put - in - Bay where he could threaten the British General Procter ' s line of supply and communications , keeping an eye on Barclay ' s ships at Fort Maiden , Amherstburg , Ontario . This forced Barclay to come out to support British land operations on the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers . The British fleet , reinforced by the full - rigged ship , which had just been completed , emerged from Fort Maiden on 10 September , and Perry eagerly set sail to meet it . Barclay , who enjoyed the advantage of more long range guns , opened the action shortly before noon when his flagship " Detroit " fired on Perry ' s , the brig " Lawrence " . Through most of the battle , " Somers " engaged the smaller British ships at long range , contributing to Perry ' s decisive victory . and " Queen Charlotte " occupied her attention during the first part of the battle , and and " Lady Prevost " were her principal targets during its closing phases . In the end , the entire British fleet surrendered , giving the American fleet all but unchallenged supremacy on Lake Erie for the remainder of the war . However , on the night of 12 August 1814 , British boats , pretending to be provision boats , rowed up to " Somers " and " Ohio " and captured the American ships . Somers subsequently served in the Royal Navy under the same name , as .