Identification & Site Information

• Name: Gundelow Connecticut
• Other Names: None recorded
• Vessel Type: Armed Gundelow (Flat-bottomed Gunboat)
• Date Built: 1776
• Builder: Constructed by the Continental Navy, almost certainly at Skenesborough (modern-day Whitehall, New York) as part of Benedict Arnold’s fleet construction efforts
• Dimensions: Estimated based on period gundelows:
• Length: 50-60 feet (15-18 metres)
• Beam: 15-18 feet (4.5-5.5 metres)
• Armament:
• 2 small guns (likely 4-pounders)
• Swivel guns mounted for close-range defense
• Tonnage: Estimated 40-50 tons
• Date Lost: October 11-13, 1776
• Final Location: Valcour Island, Lake Champlain
• Coordinates: Exact site unknown, estimated near 44°36’N, 73°24’W

Vessel Type

Armed Gundelow (Flat-bottomed Gunboat)

The Connecticut was a gundelow, a versatile shallow-Draft vessel designed for both cargo hauling and amphibious transport. In 1776, with British forces preparing their southward invasion, these simple barges were converted into gunboats, armed with cannons and swivel guns, to augment the Continental fleet being assembled by Benedict Arnold.

Gundelows like Connecticut were not purpose-built warships—they were improvised naval assets created out of desperation and necessity. Nevertheless, they played crucial roles in shallow water defenses.

History

Connecticut was built during the feverish summer of 1776, when Arnold’s forces constructed a small fleet at Skenesborough to defend Lake Champlain. Along with her sister ships, Connecticut was part of the hastily prepared fleet that met the British at Valcour Island on October 11, 1776.

During the Battle of Valcour Island, the Connecticut likely took station close to shore, relying on her shallow Draft to hug the shallows where larger British warships could not follow. As Arnold’s flagship Congress led the main line of battle, gundelows like Connecticut served as flexible gun platforms, helping deliver fire from concealed shoreline positions and resupplying other vessels during lulls in combat.

Final Disposition

After Arnold’s daring nighttime escape on October 11-12, the badly damaged fleet attempted to retreat south toward Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga. However, on October 13, the British fleet caught up with the Americans once more.

It is believed Connecticut either:

• Was captured by the British, or
• Deliberately scuttled and burned by Arnold’s forces to prevent capture.

As with many of the smaller vessels lost at Valcour, her ultimate fate was poorly documented, and no definitive archaeological discovery has ever confirmed her resting place.

Site Description

⚠️ No confirmed archaeological site exists for Connecticut.

Any surviving remains, if they exist, would be:

• Heavily fragmented timbers, possibly charred if burned.
• Small artifacts like cannonballs, fastenings, and fittings, scattered near the presumed defensive line.
• Possibly overlapped with or buried beneath debris from other vessels lost in the same battle.

Experience Rating

⚠️ Not a recreational dive site — Historical Archive Listing Only

Connecticut exists in the historical record, not as an active dive site. This is an archival documentation listing.

NOTMARs & Advisories

• No official NOTMARs apply.
• Any future discovery would fall under the jurisdiction of the New York State Historic Preservation Office, requiring proper permits for any interaction.

Located By & Date Found

• Never officially located.
• Historical loss documented as part of the Battle of Valcour Island, lost or destroyed during or immediately after the American retreat on October 13, 1776.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• Depth: Estimated shallow — 3 to 8 metres (10-25 feet)
• Bottom Composition: Mud, silt, and rocky patches along Valcour’s shore
• Visibility: Typically low — 1 to 5 metres (3-16 feet)
• Condition: Presumed heavily fragmented or destroyed.

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 likely lost, Connecticut’s story endures as part of the first naval battle fought by the United States Navy.

Her fate—one of many improvised vessels sacrificed to delay the British—reflects the courage, creativity, and desperation of the Continental forces at a time when survival depended on every available Hull, no matter how humble.

Connecticut’s loss helped buy the precious time needed for the Continental Army to regroup, ultimately leading to the decisive American victory at Saratoga. This small, fragile vessel thus played a big role in the survival of a fledgling nation.

Keywords & Categories

Connecticut, Gundelow, Armed Flatboat, Lake Champlain, Valcour Island, Benedict Arnold, Continental Navy, American Revolutionary War, Historical Shipwrecks, Scuttled Ships, Revolutionary War Naval History, Great Lakes Maritime History