 In 1812, the Provincial Marine operated only four vessels armed with 20 short-barreled guns.After May 1813, when the Royal Navy units under Commodore Sir James Yeo took command of the facility, it grew rapidly.At the end of 1814, the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard produced the largest naval squadron on the Great Lakes, with 1,600 personnel serving on the St. Lawrence, on four other ships, and four smaller vessels, totalling 518 guns."