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Lake Bound Buccaneers
Previous excursions against American poachers on the lakes had proven one thing, the lawbreakers intended to run free regardless of if they had to open fire on enforcement officials. Due to this fact, it was unadvised to employ only steam launches in these enforcement deployments. With a length of 116 ft, a beam of 22 ft and a draught of 11 ft, Petrel was larger than most vessels the Fisheries Patrol and with a top speed of roughly 10 knots, she was fairly maneuverable against some of the older steam tugs on the lake. Although her Nordenfeld quick-firing machine guns would not be mounted for some years, her armory included an extensive number of Spencer repeating rifles, Colt revolvers and naval cutlasses for protection and intimidation. This was partially assisted by the Fisheries Enforcement regulations of all seaborne officers equipped with naval style uniforms.
The typical uniform worn by Fisheries Enforcement Officers on the Lakes.
With an experienced Captain at her helm and a crew of roughly 30 men, Petrel arrived for the 1894 fishing season with something to prove and prove she did. On May 8, 1894, lookouts aboard Petrel spotted two ships in Canadian waters with many small boats scattered nearby. With that seemed to be a mass illegal harvest of Canadian fish, the Canadians moved in for an inspection. As they did, both ships began to raise steam, prompting a chase. As the Petrel pulled up alongside the two mother-ships, officers armed to the teeth with cutlasses and revolvers with crew lining Petrel’s decks with rifles, the officers found themselves pointing their arms at 50 wealthy American fishermen of the Dayton Peele Fishing Club. The raising of steam had been the galleys of both ships being operated in order to serve lunch to their patrons and each small boat consisted of two or three people fishing by hook and line. With understandably less vigor, licensing checks were conducted, and every single fisherman was found to be fishing illegally.
All involved were arrested by the crew of the Petrel who took all parties involved and their ships into the town of Amherstburg for detention. The fishermen and their hired captains were only held in custody for a few hours and were thereby released however, the yachts Visitor and Leroy Brooks were impounded until fines could be issued. The president of the Peele Fishing Club penned an extensive letter to the Canadian Minister of Marine explaining the situation and subsequently, the Department declined to press individual charges as they were convinced there was no explicit intent to break the law. Although due to the fact that an organized Club accepting membership fees should have informed their patrons of required licensing, a $40 fee was charged per ship alongside the required fees connected with the overall seizure.
Leroy Brooks in her early yacht appearance, this vessel is said to be still sailing today however the information is unsubstantiated.
The overall incident was rather minor and resolved rather quickly however, parties within the United States blew the situation out of proportion. A group of advocates lobbied the state government to step in and retaliate with seizures of their own yet the state fully supported the Canadian actions. A clear violation of Canadian law in Canadian waters did not justify hotheaded action. Accusations of heavy handedness were also raised but conveniently did not include why such measures were put into place. Perhaps the most timeless example that surfaced from the entire situation was the front-page print present in the Detroit News. Depicting the “Battle of Lake Erie” was an exaggerated cartoon showcasing a multitude of Petrel’s arm crew threatening fishermen in rowboats with swords, cannons and Gatling guns. Reflecting the previous Battle of Lake Erie, the main caption read as “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” The accompanying poem and general tone of the article that followed reinforced the opinions of the general public with their distaste of the wealthy class in depression times and their support of Canadian actions.
`Rah for the gallant Petrel; 'Rah for the Petrel's men;
Here's to their red hot visit; Here's may they come again!
It's rather a butt-end visit; but who in hades cares.
Since the big guns frowned from the portholes on bunch of millionaires!
Go for 'em Johnny Crapaud; go for 'em Bob Canuck;
Truss 'em up Johnny Thompson, swinge' em just for luck."
Besides this event, the 1894 enforcement season had been an outstanding success. Petrel and her accompanying steam launch Dolphin had impounded a total of five ships and confiscated over 200 nets of differing sizes. The Canadians presence on the lakes during this and the following seasons had made its impression and even as Petrel and her kin were slowly outran by faster American ships in the following years. The conspicuous nature of Petrel's white clad paint and distinctive ram bow did nothing but draw attention, intimidating as many people as she alerted to her presence. Even with that said, the arms race between the American poachers and Canadian enforcement officers would continue even until the modern day.
The typical uniform worn by Fisheries Enforcement Officers on the Lakes.
With an experienced Captain at her helm and a crew of roughly 30 men, Petrel arrived for the 1894 fishing season with something to prove and prove she did. On May 8, 1894, lookouts aboard Petrel spotted two ships in Canadian waters with many small boats scattered nearby. With that seemed to be a mass illegal harvest of Canadian fish, the Canadians moved in for an inspection. As they did, both ships began to raise steam, prompting a chase. As the Petrel pulled up alongside the two mother-ships, officers armed to the teeth with cutlasses and revolvers with crew lining Petrel’s decks with rifles, the officers found themselves pointing their arms at 50 wealthy American fishermen of the Dayton Peele Fishing Club. The raising of steam had been the galleys of both ships being operated in order to serve lunch to their patrons and each small boat consisted of two or three people fishing by hook and line. With understandably less vigor, licensing checks were conducted, and every single fisherman was found to be fishing illegally.
All involved were arrested by the crew of the Petrel who took all parties involved and their ships into the town of Amherstburg for detention. The fishermen and their hired captains were only held in custody for a few hours and were thereby released however, the yachts Visitor and Leroy Brooks were impounded until fines could be issued. The president of the Peele Fishing Club penned an extensive letter to the Canadian Minister of Marine explaining the situation and subsequently, the Department declined to press individual charges as they were convinced there was no explicit intent to break the law. Although due to the fact that an organized Club accepting membership fees should have informed their patrons of required licensing, a $40 fee was charged per ship alongside the required fees connected with the overall seizure.
Leroy Brooks in her early yacht appearance, this vessel is said to be still sailing today however the information is unsubstantiated.
The overall incident was rather minor and resolved rather quickly however, parties within the United States blew the situation out of proportion. A group of advocates lobbied the state government to step in and retaliate with seizures of their own yet the state fully supported the Canadian actions. A clear violation of Canadian law in Canadian waters did not justify hotheaded action. Accusations of heavy handedness were also raised but conveniently did not include why such measures were put into place. Perhaps the most timeless example that surfaced from the entire situation was the front-page print present in the Detroit News. Depicting the “Battle of Lake Erie” was an exaggerated cartoon showcasing a multitude of Petrel’s arm crew threatening fishermen in rowboats with swords, cannons and Gatling guns. Reflecting the previous Battle of Lake Erie, the main caption read as “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” The accompanying poem and general tone of the article that followed reinforced the opinions of the general public with their distaste of the wealthy class in depression times and their support of Canadian actions.
`Rah for the gallant Petrel; 'Rah for the Petrel's men;
Here's to their red hot visit; Here's may they come again!
It's rather a butt-end visit; but who in hades cares.
Since the big guns frowned from the portholes on bunch of millionaires!
Go for 'em Johnny Crapaud; go for 'em Bob Canuck;
Truss 'em up Johnny Thompson, swinge' em just for luck."
Besides this event, the 1894 enforcement season had been an outstanding success. Petrel and her accompanying steam launch Dolphin had impounded a total of five ships and confiscated over 200 nets of differing sizes. The Canadians presence on the lakes during this and the following seasons had made its impression and even as Petrel and her kin were slowly outran by faster American ships in the following years. The conspicuous nature of Petrel's white clad paint and distinctive ram bow did nothing but draw attention, intimidating as many people as she alerted to her presence. Even with that said, the arms race between the American poachers and Canadian enforcement officers would continue even until the modern day.
- RelativeGalaxy7
- Word Count: 860