# Do navies patrol lakes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079 "2022-04-19T20:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/61 "2022-04-21T18:34:40Z")
Sorry, @Elendil_s_Heir no idea! I’m from Saskatchewan. What do I know about navies?!? 😀 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/62 "2022-04-21T20:07:45Z")
You should know at least as much as a [Nebraskan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Admiral). ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/63 "2022-04-21T21:35:14Z")
**Nebraska Admiral** (formally, **Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska** ) is the state of [Nebraska](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska)’s highest civic honor, and an [honorary title](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_of_honor) bestowed upon individuals by approval of the [Governor of Nebraska](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Nebraska), a [triply landlocked](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triply_landlocked) [U.S. state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state). Oh, sort of like those Kentucky colonels that aren’t really colonels then? (And as I understand it Col. Sanders was neither a real colonel nor the Kentucky kind, nor even a Kentuckian for that matter, but he did fry chicken.) ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/64 "2022-04-22T11:47:25Z")
Both Russia and Iran have substantial fleets on the Caspian Sea, possibly including midget submarines, iirc. Here’s a cite for the [Iranian Northern Fleet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Fleet_(Iran)), and one for the [Russian Caspian Flotilla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Flotilla). A little table near the bottom of the Iranian page gives the strengths of the Azerbaijani, Kazakhstan & Turkmenistan forces (mainly patrol boats) ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/65 "2022-04-24T22:17:34Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I’m from Saskatchewan. What do I know about navies?!? 😀 But, your province is like 60% water! I mean, not all at once… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/66 "2022-04-24T22:32:43Z")
The portages are a killer! ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/67 "2022-04-24T22:48:25Z")
WW 1 happenned on Lake Victoria of course. See [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00253359.1985.10656023?journalCode=rmir20](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00253359.1985.10656023?journalCode=rmir20) And there was a second african battle lake too > **[Battle for Lake Tanganyika](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Lake_Tanganyika)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > >  Britain Belgium >  German Empire > 1915 Its a lake a bit south of Lake Victoria in Africa, it drains into the Congo . Similar to Lake Victoria, its on/at/is an international border. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/68 "2022-04-24T23:25:54Z")
Going back to the basic question, well, it’s a matter of why would navies **not** operate in navigable inland lakes? Sure, the USA has its Coast Guard be a full military service in its own right and it has internal waters jurisdiction, but that is by no means an established norm worldwide. In some countries their coast guards are strictly rescue or maritime safety outfits with no useful fighting function, or are subordinate units of the respective navy or gendarmerie equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/69 "2022-04-25T01:30:32Z")
Seems to me you would only put a navy in a lake if another country also has access to that lake and they put navy there. And that assumes those two countries are not friendly. The US and Canada share some really big lakes and, AFAIK, they have no navy on there. Just lake police/coast guard (nothing you would really call a military presence). Their purpose being to interdict criminals and help those in distress on the lakes. They have no role in attacking/threatening anything other than criminals. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/70 "2022-04-25T12:14:21Z")
That’s because by treaty, the Great Lakes are démilitarised: > **[Rush–Bagot Treaty](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush%E2%80%93Bagot_Treaty)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Rush–Bagot Treaty or Rush–Bagot Disarmament was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812. It was ratified by the United States Senate on April 16, 1818, and was confirmed by Canada, following Confederation in 1867. > The treaty provided for a large demilitarization of lakes along the international boundary, where many British naval arrangements... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/71 "2022-04-25T20:26:43Z")
And because the US and Canada are friendly enough with each other that treaties like that are honored. I imagine that a lot of the lakes where battles were fought, the relevant nations had similar treaties, which they immediately ignored as soon as it was convenient to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/72 "2022-04-25T20:33:47Z")
I’d say it was the other way around: the Rush-Bagot Treaty helped to ensure the development of peaceful relations on the Lakes, and by extension between the two countries. (That little _Caroline_ affair notwithstanding.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/73 "2022-04-27T00:43:33Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Sorry, @Elendil_s_Heir no idea! > > I’m from Saskatchewan. What do I know about navies?!? 😀 I thought you would at least know about pirates… 😀 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dN--bN0mCG4/hqdefault.jpg "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN--bN0mCG4) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/74 "2022-04-27T12:13:26Z")
Yes, but that was on the River Saskatchewan! Screw the GST! ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/75 "2022-04-27T16:58:55Z")
Von Trapp was a captain in the navy of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included the Dalmatian Coast along the Adriatic Sea. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/76 "2022-04-27T18:45:37Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That’s because by treaty, the Great Lakes are démilitarised: > > [Rush–Bagot Treaty - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush%E2%80%93Bagot_Treaty) Gosh, if only we’d mentioned that treaty a couple of times already in this thread! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/77 "2022-04-27T19:25:39Z")
Told you, I don’t do navy stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/78 "2022-04-27T20:39:15Z")
I’m impressed my little thread, typed on my phone while I was getting my teeth drilled (I’m not kidding!) has proved so popular and even fractious. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079/79 "2022-04-28T07:06:10Z")
You typed it while getting your teeth drilled? Kudos, I can’t even think in this situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navies-patrol-lakes/963079.md?page=3)