The Gondola Philadelphia and the Battle of Lake ChamplainA veteran of the American Revolutionary War, the Continental gondola Philadelphia is the oldest intact warship currently on display in North America. After its recovery from the bottom of Lake Champlain in 1935, the fifty-four foot long Philadelphia, armed with three cannon and eight swivel guns, was moved to the newly constructed building housing what is now the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution. Since then Philadelphia has testified to the heroic struggle between a hastily built fleet of American warships and an overwhelmingly superior British fleet on Lake Champlain in October of 1776. Although the Americans were defeated and Philadelphia sank, the shipbuilding race and naval contest of which the gondola was a part delayed the British invasion of the rebelling colonies for one year. The delay, according to most historians, gave the American forces much-needed time to muster a defense that ultimately resulted in the British defeat at Saratoga in 1777. In the sixty-four years since the ship's recovery, no comprehensive analysis of this vessel or the associated artifacts has ever been produced. In this fascinating work, archaeologist John Bratten details the gunboat's history, construction, armament, tools, utensils, personal items, and rigging elements. He takes advantage of contemporary records to describe the Philadelphia's artifacts and presents for the first time an analysis of photographs taken during the 1935 recovery of the boat. Finally, he assesses the replica Philadelphia II, built at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum during 1989-91 in order to provide an opportunity to evaluate how the gondola was built, manned, sailed, and propelled by sweeps. Through his careful analysis, Bratten offers modern readers a glimpse of the naval battles that ultimately helped to win the independence of our democratic nation. |
Contents
| 6 | |
| 15 | |
BUILDING THE BRITISH FLEET | 37 |
THE AMERICAN FLEET PREPARES FOR CONFRONTATION | 44 |
THE BATTLE OF VALCOUR ISLAND | 53 |
SALVAGING THE PHILADELPHIA | 74 |
CONSTRUCTING THE PHILADELPHIA | 93 |
THE PHILADELPHIA ARTIFACT COLLECTION | 112 |
THE CREW OF THE PHILADELPHIA | 136 |
Common terms and phrases
9-pounders According additional American anchor appears approximately armed Arnold arrived artifacts August Battle boats bottom British building built cannons Captain Carleton carpenters carriage ceiling Clark collection Colonel command construction Continental Crawford crew Crown Point deck diameter eight feet fire fleet floor force forward four fragments frames galley Gates George Gondola Philadelphia Gunboat Hagglund History Hoffman hole hull Ibid inches Width included indicate iron James John Journal July June Lake Champlain later Length Length overall letter Morgan Museum Naval Documents NMAH NMAH/AFH Notes October ordered original Philip Photograph courtesy placed planking port position present raised Record recovered remains reported rigging ring River Royal sail salvage schooner Schuyler secured sent September served sheet ship shot side Skenesborough Smithsonian Institution suggested swivel Ticonderoga timbers troops Trumbull Valcour Island vessel Washington wood wooden wrote York