HMS Shannon and War of 1812 on a Circulation 2-Dollar Coin
July 8, 2026 | Featured
200 years after the start of the conflict in 1812, the Royal Canadian Mint announced the launch of a series of 5 commemorative circulation coins celebrating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The first of these coins, which begins circulating in 2012, is a two-dollar circulation coin commemorating HMS Shannon, famed for its defeat and capture of the USS Chesapeake and its escort of the American war prize into Halifax harbour.
In June 1813, Captain Philip Broke, Commander of the HMS Shannon, was eager to secure a victory for the British Navy, which had suffered a series of single-ship combat defeats at the hands of the United States. Challenging the USS Chesapeake off the New England coast, both ships met with guns at the ready.
From Coins and Canada