The ''Land Tortoise'' was a military transport ship built for service on Lake George,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. The vessel, a radeau (raft), was built in 1758, and was intentionally sunk later that year with the intention of raising her for use in 1759. This did not happen, and the sunken vessel was discovered in 1990. Its site is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

and a state-protected underwater preserve. It is believed to be the oldest intact warship in North America, and is the only surviving ship of its type. The site is accessible to the diving public with advanced diving skills.

Description and history

The ''Land Tortoise'' was built in 1758, as part of a British effort to regain control of Lake George after

the loss "The Loss" is the 84th episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the tenth episode of the fourth season. It originally aired on December 31, 1990. Set in the 24th century, the series fol ...

Fort William Henry Fort William Henry was a British fort at the southern end of Lake George, in the province of New York. The fort's construction was ordered by Sir William Johnson in September 1755, during the French and Indian War, as a staging ground for a ...

at the south end of the lake in 1757. She was built by provincial militia forces under the direction of Captain Samuel Cobb of Falmouth, now

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. She was built in just over a month, launched, tested ("rowed well with 26 oars") and then two days later intentionally sunk by adding ballast with plans to re-float her in the spring of 1759. The location where she was sunk was too deep for recovery, and a new radeau, the ''Invincible'', was built in 1759. The sunken vessel lies at a depth of about in the southern basin of Lake George, about north of Lake George Beach. It is about long, and has seven sides, varying in width between . It has no keel, and was fitted with seven cannon ports. She was discovered in 1990, and was researched by a team of amateur divers guided by a professional archaeologist for four years. The site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1995, and was designated a

in 1998. The official National Historic Landmark plaque is located at the intersection of Beach Rd. and Fort George Rd (at the south end of Lake George).

References

External links

All Over Albany Archive: The Lost Radeau: a shipwreck in Lake George

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Buildings and structures in Warren County, New York National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Shipwrecks of New York (state) Shipwrecks in lakes Maritime incidents in 1758 National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, New York 1758 ships Ships built in New York (state) Wreck diving sites in the United States

Description and history

References

Further reading

External links