USS Spitfire (1776 gunboat)
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Spitfire |
| Launched | 1776 |
| Commissioned | August 1776 |
| Fate | Sunk, 13 October 1776 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gundalow |
| Length | 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) |
| Draft | 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m) |
| Propulsion | Oar / Sail |
| Speed | 4 knots under sail |
| Complement | 45 |
| Armament |
|
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 |
USS Spitfire was a 3-gun gundalow of the Continental Navy that operated 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.