Canada celebrates 1812 war victories over the US with ship names

US warships will some day be sailing alongside the Royal Canadian navy supply ships Queenston and Chateauguay, perhaps on a Nato exercise or a humanitarian relief mission.

That might get awkward if a historically minded United States sailor notices that Queenston and Chateauguay were battles where Canada defeated America in the war of 1812.

The battle of Queenston Heights, on October 13, 1812, saw an outnumbered force of 1,300 British regulars, Canadian militiamen, and Mohawk irregulars easily repel a poorly organised attempt by 3,500 US regulars and militiamen to cross the Niagara River.

The battle of Chateauguay, on October 26, 1813, was another embarrassing US loss, when a 1,600-strong British and Canadian force defeated 2,600 Americans who were attempting to capture Montreal.

"The government of Canada has named the new joint support ships to commemorate the war of 1812, in recognition of the achievements and sacrifices made by those early Canadians who fought and died in these significant battles of Queenston Heights and Chateauguay," Canadian navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Jennifer Fidler said.

"The war of 1812 was a defining moment that contributed to shaping our identity as Canadians and ultimately our existence as a country. It laid the foundation for confederation and the cornerstones of our political institutions."

Historians may quibble. Since Canada was a British colony rather than a nation in 1812, then technically the war was fought between Great Britain and the US, and the glory of these victories belongs to the British. But history is no match for patriotic fervour.