It was all-hands on deck when the flagship Niagara sailed by the Toledo Harbor Light after retracing the route taken by Oliver Hazard Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813.

The replica of the historic double-masted, square-rigged ship was welcomed by a flotilla of 100 boats, gathered to escort the tall ship to Toledo.

In this 1998 Blade archive photo, the Niagara fired a cannon shot in salute as it neared downtown, answered by a shot from a loaned Fort Meigs cannon set up at Promenade Park. The ship moored at International Park for four days, where it was open for public tours.

The twice-built reproduction of the original ship was sailed by a crew of 30 to 40, about a quarter of the original muster list of 155 in 1813. The decisive victory during the War of 1812 allowed

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