USS Spitfire (1776 gunboat)
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For other ships with the same name, see USS Spitfire.
This article is about the gundalow built in 1776. For the galley built in 1776, see USS Spitfire (1776).
USS Spitfire was an American gundalow that operated as a gunboat in 1776 on Lake Champlain. She was part of Benedict Arnold's small, hastily built fleet of ships whose purpose was to counter any British invasion forces passing through the lake from Canada. Her service life was brief; after only a few months patrolling the lake she was lost in the aftermath of the Battle of Valcour Island. The gunboat's wreck was located and documented in the 1990s by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
Quick Facts History, United States ...
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Spitfire |
Launched | 1776 |
Commissioned | August 1776 |
Out of service | 13 October 1776 |
Fate | Sunk due to battle damage |
General characteristics | |
Type | Gundalow |
Length | 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m) |
Beam | 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) |
Draught | 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m) |
Propulsion | Oar / Sail |
Speed | 4 knots under sail |
Complement | 45 |
Armament |
|
Armor | facines & wood planks |
Notes | |
Spitfire (gunboat) | |
Location | Address Restricted, Lake Champlain, New York |
Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
Built | 1776 |
Architectural style | Revolutionary War Gunboat |
NRHP reference No. | 08000694 |
Added to NRHP | July 24, 2008 |
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