Ship Modelers Database
Image: Public Domain Mark 1.0 (U.S. Navy official imagery) · commons.wikimedia.org
Niagara
Preserved afloat · Erie, PA
The U.S. Brig Niagara is a two-masted, square-rigged snow-brig best known as Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's relief flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, during the War of 1812. The vessel sailing today is the third major reconstruction of the original 1813 hull, built at Erie, Pennsylvania and launched in 1988, and is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Kits of this ship
+ Add a kit| Niagra | Model Shipways | 1:64 (3/16 in=1 ft, S) | Plank-on-Bulkhead | Available | |
| Brig Niagra | A.J. Fisher | 1:96 (1/8 in=1 ft) | Wood | Available |
Plans
No plan sets listed for this ship yet. Know of museum, archive or publisher drawings? Add them so the next builder can find them.
Links go to the publisher's or museum's own page. Ship Modelers Database lists plan sets; it doesn't host or display the drawings.
Build logs
+ Link a build logNo build logs linked yet.
Resources
+ Submit a resourceHistory & specifications
- Erie History Blog: US Brig Niagara SpecificationsArticle
Lists detailed dimensions, mast heights, armament, and rebuild dates useful for scale modeling accuracy.
- PA.gov: U.S. Brig Niagara Arrives in Maine Shipyard for RepairsArticle
Official Commonwealth of Pennsylvania press release on the 2025-2026 restoration project, giving current vessel status.
- Wikipedia: USS Niagara (1813)Website
Comprehensive overview of the ship's history, dimensions, armament, and status as a National Historic Landmark; good baseline specs for modelers.
Museums & archives
- Erie Maritime Museum: U.S. Brig Niagara Research TopicMuseum
Museum's own history page covering the original brig's construction, scuttling, and later reconstructions.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: US Brig Niagara Transits the Maumee RiverPhoto
Public domain U.S. Navy photograph of the reconstructed brig under sail, suitable as a reference image.
History
Service history
After the decisive American victory at Lake Erie, Niagara served briefly as a receiving ship before being deliberately sunk for preservation in Misery Bay in 1820. She was raised in 1913 for the battle's centennial, rebuilt and toured the Great Lakes, then deteriorated again until a more complete reconstruction was finished in 1988 (entering service 1990-1992). She remains a certified U.S. Coast Guard sail training vessel (SSV Niagara) and is a National Historic Landmark.
Notable facts
Only a small amount of timber from the original hull survives in the current reconstruction, leading some historians to describe her as a replica rather than a true rebuild, though her operators call her a reconstruction. Niagara serves as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's flagship and goodwill ambassador, is homeported at the Erie Maritime Museum, and has appeared in documentaries standing in for other historic vessels such as the whaleship Essex. As of 2025-2026 she is undergoing a multi-million dollar refit at a Maine shipyard ahead of America's 250th anniversary commemorations.