Editing War of 1812 (section)

====Background====
[[File:A View of Halifax - Thomas Davies.jpg|thumb|The Royal Navy's [[North America and West Indies Station|North American squadron]] was based in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] and [[Bermuda]]. At the start of the war, the squadron had one [[ship of the line]], seven [[frigate]]s, nine [[Sloop-of-war|sloops]] as well as [[brig]]s and [[schooner]]s.{{sfn|Gwyn|2003|p=134}}]]

In 1812, Britain's Royal Navy was the world's largest and most powerful navy, with over 600 vessels in commission, following the defeat of the French Navy at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} Most of these ships were employed blockading the French navy and protecting British trade against French privateers, but the Royal Navy still had 85 vessels in American waters, counting all North American and Caribbean waters.{{efn|Admiralty reply to British press criticism.{{sfn|Toll|2006|p=180}}}} However, the Royal Navy's North American squadron was the most immediately available force, based in Halifax and [[Bermuda]] (two of the colonies that made up [[British North America]]), and numbered one small [[ship of the line]] and seven frigates as well as nine smaller [[Sloop-of-war|sloops]] and brigs and five [[schooner]]s.{{sfn|Gwyn|2003|p=134}} By contrast, the entire United States Navy was composed of 8 frigates, 14 smaller sloops and brigs, with no ships of the line. The United States had embarked on a major shipbuilding program before the war at Sackett's Harbor to provide ships for use on the Great Lakes, and continued to produce new ships.