Two hundred and fifty years ago this month, a small flat-bottomed gunboat helped save the American Revolution — and this Thursday, Washington, D.C. gives it the spotlight it deserves.
The National Museum of American History is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the sinking of the Gunboat Philadelphia, the oldest surviving American fighting vessel in existence. Built in the summer of 1776, the 54-foot gunboat was hit by a 24-pound cannonball near its bow and sank during the Battle of Valcour Island on October 11, 1776. The small American fleet’s sacrifice delayed a British invasion from Canada — and changed the course of the war.
Raised from Lake Champlain in 1935 and displayed at the museum since its opening in 1964, the Philadelphia is now the star of “The Gunboat Philadelphia Preservation Project,” a multi-year conservation effort on the museum’s third floor east. Through viewing windows, visitors can watch in real time as conservators from the Smithsonian and Texas A&M’s Nautical Archaeology Program clean and stabilize the fragile timbers with the latest technology.
New research has uncovered fresh stories about the thousands of patriots who built the fleet on Lake Champlain, and the museum marks the anniversary this Thursday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with behind-the-scenes looks at the conservation work. Don’t miss the VR experience “Gunboat Philadelphia: Save the Revolution!” (daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., $10 or $8 for same-day repeats), which puts you aboard the 1776 vessel. Admission to the museum is free.
Photo: Kevin Burkett / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
