The first Asp was a schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

.

Asp, the former British merchant vessel Elizabeth, was captured on Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 in 1812 by the schooner , purchased by the Navy from the prize court

Prize court

A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...

: outfitted; and commissioned on 6 February 1813, Lt. Sidney Smith

Sidney Smith

Sidney Smith may refer to:*Sir William Sidney Smith , British admiral, always known as Sir Sidney Smith*Sidney Smith , lawyer and politician in Upper Canada*Sidney Irving Smith , American zoologist...

 in command.

Battle of York

Asp got underway on 25 April 1813 as a unit of Commodore Isaac Chauncey

Isaac Chauncey

Isaac Chauncey was an officer in the United States Navy.-Biography:Chauncey, born in Black Rock, Connecticut, 20 February 1779, was appointed a Lieutenant in the Navy from 17 September 1798...

's Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 squadron escorting General Henry Dearborn

Henry Dearborn

Henry Dearborn was an American physician, a statesman and a veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, New Hampshire, he spent much of his youth in Epping, where he attended public schools...

's 1,700 troops to York (now Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

), Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The squadron arrived off York two days later. While Dearborn's troops hustled ashore, Asp and the other ships of the squadron supported them by bombarding the town's defenses. Outnumbered and outgunned, the defenders gave way after a brief, but stubborn, defense

Battle of York

The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on 27 April 1813, at York, Upper Canada . An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west, defeated the defending British force and captured the town and dockyard...

. The squadron remained at York for about a week loading booty of war and destroying that which could not be carried on. At York, the American force captured the 10-gun brig

Brig

A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...

  and destroyed an 'almost complete' 24-gun ship. When the warships left York, they spent the following two weeks convoying reinforcements and supplies to General Dearborn.

Battle of Fort George

The next enterprise decided upon was an attack on Fort George

Battle of Fort George

The Battle of Fort George was a battle fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured the Fort George in Upper Canada...

, located almost due south from York across the western end of Lake Ontario and on the Canadian side of the Niagara River

Niagara River

The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...

 where it empties into Lake Ontario. Commodore Chauncy carefully reconnoitered the defenses of the British stronghold on 26 May. Before dawn the following morning, the squadron moved in with the embarked assault troops. While the larger ships of the squadron bombarded the various defenses and batteries around the fort, Asp joined and in covering the landings themselves. Their point-blank grape shot fire riddled the British ranks to such a degree that the American troops easily established a beachhead and soon drove off the remnants of the British who tried unsuccessfully to rally further inland. In that victorious combined operation, the American Army and Navy succeeded in securing the Niagara frontier and the river by forcing the British to evacuate the entire area. It also allowed the Lake Erie squadron to be augmented by five vessels which had been bottled up in the Niagara between the falls and British batteries at the southern (Lake Erie) end of the river.

At Sackett's Harbor

While the American squadron had been concentrating on the western end of Lake Ontario, the British had been augmenting their squadron at Kingston

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

 in the eastern portion. Late in May, they made an unsuccessful attempt to carry Sackett's Harbor

Battle of Sackett's Harbor

The Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor or simply the Battle of Sacket's Harbor, took place on 29 May 1813, during the War of 1812. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal dockyard and base for the American naval squadron on the lake...

 by storm. Chauncy took his squadron — Asp included — back to the eastern part of the lake and, on 2 June, put into Sackett's Harbor where he was forced to remain due to the temporary inferiority of his force to that of the British. The enemy then ranged the lake at will capturing stockpiles and intercepting American supplies.

Raid on York

However, on 21 July, the American squadron weighed anchor and set a course for the western end of the lake. The warships arrived at Niagara on the 27th and loaded a force of American troops to repeat the attack on York carried out the previous summer. On 30 July, the squadron conducted another successful raid on York, destroying 11 British transports and carrying off 5 cannon, some ammunition, and some flour. The ships returned to Niagara and disembarked the troops on 3 August.

Action off the Niagara

While Asp and the rest of the American squadron were still at Niagara, the British squadron appeared off the anchorage on the 7th. For three days, the two squadrons went through a tedious series of maneuvers ostensibly to bring about an action. A somewhat desultory action took place on the evening of the 10th. It consisted of some long-range gunfire in which Asp participated. The main result of that skirmish was the loss of two American schooners, Growler and , which ships turned in the wrong direction and were cut off by the British. After another day or so of ineffectual maneuvering, the American squadron headed for Sackett's Harbor, where it arrived on the 13th. After taking on five weeks worth of provisions, the warships departed the harbor that same evening. The two squadrons spent the next month sailing up and down the lake, each trying to maneuver the other into a position of decisive advantage to itself.

Action off the Genesee

Near the mouth of the Genesee River

Genesee River

The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....

 on 11 September, the American warships exchanged gunfire with their British counterparts from extreme range. Though the British received the worst of it due to the American superiority in long guns, damage to both sides proved almost inconsequential; and the British escaped into Amherst Bay.

Action off Burlington

After a 17-day hiatus, the two forces met again on 28 September at York Bay. When the British ships were sighted, Asp was in tow of the American lead ship, , with following close behind. The other American ships followed some distance astern. Fearing the loss of their sternmost ships, the British came around. The three leading American ships bore down upon them. The British van, composed of their two largest ships, the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

and , opened with their starboard batteries. The Americans responded, and Pike quickly shot away Wolfe's main topmast and main yard. Thereupon, the British flagship crowded sail on her foremast and moved off in headlong flight covered by Royal George. All other British ships, with the exception of Royal George, followed the example of the flagship. Pike tried to pursue but did not cast off Asp and, therefore, made no gain on the fleeing enemy who made good his escape. For the remainder of the 1813 navigation season, the American squadron kept the British blockaded in Kingston.

Later operations

With the British cleared from Lake Ontario, Asp and the other schooners became transports for troops and stores. On one occasion, 17 November 1813, she assisted in transporting 1,100 of General William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...

's troops from the mouth of the Genesee River to Sackett's Harbor. Asp never again saw combat and, apparently, served through the remainder of the war as a transport. She was sold at Sackett's Harbor on 15 May 1815.