Identification & Site Information

• Name: HMS Enterprise
• Other Names: None recorded
• Vessel Type: Armed Sloop-of-War
• Date Built: Early 1770s (exact year undocumented)
• Builder: Presumed built by the Royal Navy, possibly in Quebec or another North American naval yard serving the British fleet
• Dimensions: Estimated based on contemporary sloops:
• Length: 70-80 feet (21-24 metres)
• Beam: 22-25 feet (6.7-7.6 metres)
• Armament: 10 guns (cannons)
• Tonnage: Approximately 100-120 tons
• Date Captured: 1776
• Date Destroyed: 1777
• Final Location: Lake Champlain, near Fort Ticonderoga
• Coordinates: Exact coordinates unconfirmed; estimated historical position near 44°07’N, 73°26’W

Vessel Type

Armed Sloop-of-War

HMS Enterprise was a small but heavily armed naval sloop, designed to provide quick maneuverability while packing a serious punch for her size. Armed sloops were ideal for patrol work, convoy escort, and suppressing rebel movements in confined inland waters like Lake Champlain.

Description

The Enterprise was originally part of the Royal Navy presence on Lake Champlain, ensuring British control over this strategically crucial waterway. She was captured by American forces under Benedict Arnold in 1776, during the audacious seizure of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point.

Once in American hands, the Enterprise became a key player in Arnold’s newly formed “Lake Champlain Fleet,” tasked with delaying the British advance from Canada into New York.

History & Final Disposition

After her capture, Enterprise served the Continental Navy as a patrol vessel and gun platform during the lead-up to the Battle of Valcour Island in October 1776. While other vessels (such as Royal Savage and Philadelphia) directly engaged the British, Enterprise played a supporting role during the retreat south.

In July 1777, following the American evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga, the Enterprise was deliberately destroyed by retreating American forces to prevent her recapture. This was part of a broader strategy to deny the British any usable vessels, slowing their advance down the lake.

Her destruction likely took the form of burning at anchor or scuttling near shore, making any surviving wreckage highly fragmented or deeply buried in sediment near Ticonderoga or Crown Point.

Site Description

⚠️ No confirmed physical wreck site exists for Enterprise.
Historical records indicate destruction occurred near military docks or anchorage points at Ticonderoga or Crown Point.

If any remains survive, they would be:

• Buried under shoreline sediment
• Scattered remnants of charred timbers and hardware
• Potentially overbuilt by later fort construction or dock expansions

Experience Rating

⚠️ Not a diveable site — Historical Archive Entry Only
Enterprise is included in the Historical Archive for her historic significance, but not as an active recreational dive site.

NOTMARs & Advisories

• No official NOTMARs exist due to the lack of a known dive site.
• Should archaeological discovery occur, the site would immediately fall under New York State preservation laws and require permits for any access.

Located By & Date Found

• Enterprise’s destruction is documented historically in 1777.
• No confirmed archaeological discovery has occurred.
• The vessel is presumed lost near Fort Ticonderoga’s 1777 military harbor.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• Depth: Likely very shallow (3-10 metres / 10-33 feet)
• Bottom Composition: Mud and sediment overlying any potential remnants
• Visibility: Poor due to natural silting and river-fed sediment load
• Condition: Likely completely disarticulated and heavily degraded

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Library and Archives Canada
• Historical Collections of the Great Lakes – Bowling Green

Conclusion

Though her physical remains are lost to time, Enterprise was a critical part of the first American naval fleet, representing both the resourcefulness of Benedict Arnold’s forces and the desperation of early American naval strategy.

As a captured British vessel, she also symbolizes how Lake Champlain became a naval chessboard, where control of just a few ships could decide the fate of entire campaigns.

Even if never found, Enterprise’s story belongs in the Revolutionary War section of Shotline Diving’s Historical Archive, ensuring her role in shaping Great Lakes and American naval history is preserved for future divers and researchers.

Keywords & Categories

Enterprise, Sloop-of-War, Armed Sloop, Lake Champlain, Fort Ticonderoga, American Revolutionary War, Continental Navy, Benedict Arnold, Valcour Island Campaign, Lost Naval Vessels, Historical Shipwrecks, Great Lakes Maritime History