Mohawk, a 42-gun frigate, was laid down 8 May 1814 by shipbuilder Henry Eckford at Sackets Harbor, New York, launched on 11 June 1814, and acquired by the U.S. Navy and placed in service shortly thereafter with Captain Jacob Jones in command.

[1] One of the large warships built under the direction of Commodore Isaac Chauncey for service against the British on Lake Ontario, Mohawk departed Sackets Harbor on 31 July 1814 in Chauncey’s squadron to challenge the British squadron of Captain Sir James Yeo, Royal Navy, for control of the lake during the crucial Niagara campaign of 1814.

Sailing up to the head of the lake seeking the British squadron, the American ships found the enemy had retired to Kingston, Ontario.

On 21 September 1814 the frigate helped transport General Izard and 3,000 men from Sackets Harbor to the Genesee River and then resumed her blockade of Kingston until the end of the month.

The War of 1812 ended 28 December 1814, long before the ice on the Great Lakes melted to allow further operations.