To commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the US Navy and the Battle of Valcour Island, the Naval History and Heritage Command is highlighting two significant wrecks which represent ongoing but diverse research projects.

These wrecks represent some of the earliest of surviving examples of American naval forces, and provide opportunities to study and elaborate on early naval history, battle tactics, living conditions aboard naval craft, and ship design.

Royal Savage was Benedict Arnold’s flagship early in the battle and was in the immediate line of fire when the British entered Valcour Bay. The schooner ran aground before burning and sinking off Valcour Island. It was raised 158 years later, disassembled, then stored over the next 81 years before being returned in pieces to NHHC for documentation, study, and reconstruction in the form of scale models.

In stark contrast, the gunboat Spitfire still rests intact on the Lake Champlain lakebed in remarkable condition and has been recently visited and documented by Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and NHHC, with further work planned to preserve this sole intact in situ US naval vessel from the Revolutionary War.

This presentation will focus on the history and archaeology of the battle and of these specific wrecks from Valcour. At the end of the presentation, we will introduce a new project for the Navy and partners, with a long-term goal of recovering and conserving a rare WWII artifact for display in the planned new National Museum of the US Navy.