The yard was established in 1796 to support the Upper Canada Provincial Marine after Great Britain ceded a pre-existing shipyard on the Detroit River to the United States.

Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard constructed four warships for the Lake Erie detachment of the Provincial Marine before and during the War of 1812.

[1] The dockyard comprised a large storehouse, two blockhouses, a timber yard with a saw pit, and a wharf.

The dockyard was further protected by defences constructed on the island which watched over the entrances to both ends of the channel.

In May 1813, the Royal Navy took command of all Provincial Marine forces and establishments on Lake Erie.