The Gondola Philadelphia & the Battle of Lake Champlain

by Bratten, John R.

• ISBN13: 9781585441471
• ISBN10: 1585441473
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-05-01
• Publisher: Texas A & M Univ Pr

Summary

A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, the Philadelphia is the oldest intact warship on display in North America. After its recovery from the bottom of Lake Champlain in 1935, the fifty-four foot long vessel, armed with three cannon and eight swivel guns, was moved to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution.

The Philadelphia testifies to the heroic struggle between a hastily built fleet of American warships and an overwhelmingly superior British fleet on Lake Champlain in 1776. Although the Americans were defeated and the Philadelphia was sunk, the shipbuilding race and naval contest of which the gondola was a part delayed the British invasion, giving the Americans time to muster a defense that resulted in the British defeat at Saratoga in 1777.

In this work, John R. Bratten details the gunboat's history, construction, armament, tools, utensils, personal items, and rigging elements. Through his careful analysis, Bratten offers modern readers a glimpse of the naval battles that ultimately helped to win the independence of

Author Biography

John R. Bratten works as a nautical archaeologist and conservator at the Archaeology Institute of the University of West Florida.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
List of Tables	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	3	(3)
History of the Military and Naval Events Leading to the American Defense of Lake Champlain in 1776	6	(9)
Building the American Fleet	15	(22)
Building the British Fleet	37	(7)
The American Fleet Prepares for Confrontation	44	(9)
The Battle of Valcour Island	53	(21)
Salvaging the Philadelphia	74	(19)
Constructing the Philadelphia	93	(19)
The Philadelphia Artifact Collection	112	(24)
The Crew of the Philadelphia	136	(11)
The Philadelphia II	147	(12)
Conclusion	159	(6)
Appendix: Catalog of Artifacts Found on the Philadelphia	165	(30)
Notes	195	(24)
Glossary	219	(4)
Bibliography	223	(6)
Index	229