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PHILADELPHIA GUNBOAT MODEL
The
gunboat USS
Philadelphia is of the Continental Navy. She
was constructed from July-August 1776 for service during
the American Revolutionary War.
Manned by
Continental Army soldiers, USS Philadelphia was part of a fleet under
the command of General Benedict Arnold that fought
against the British Royal Navy in the Battle of Valcour
Island on Lake Champlain. Philadelphia was sunk during
the battle, on 11 October 1776.
Constructed primarily of
oak, USS Philadelphia was 53 ft 2 in long with a beam of 15 ft 2 in.
She mounted three cannons, one 12-pounder facing forward
and two 9 pounders facing port and starboard. She also
had mounting points for up to eight swivel guns. Late in
her construction General Arnold ordered that her aft
deck be raised in order to accommodate a mortar. This
modification was apparently undone after the mortar
exploded during test firing at Fort Ticonderoga. In
order to maintain equilibrium, ballast rocks were
probably used in the aft portion of the boat once the
mortar was removed.
Late in August General
Arnold assembled his fleet and cruised provocatively on
the northern stretches of Lake Champlain. On September
23, in anticipation of the larger British fleet's
arrival, he stationed his ships in Valcour Bay, the
strait separating the western shore of the lake from
Valcour Island. When the two forces clashed on October
11, gunboat Philadelphia was under the command of Benjamin Rue.
Early in the six-hour fight the 12-gun schooner Royal
Savage ran aground and was burned. Toward dusk the
British guns holed USS Philadelphia with a 24-pound shot and
she soon sank. Darkness ended the action, and Arnold was
able to slip away during the night. Many of his
remaining ships were burned, sunk, or captured over the
next two days as the British pursued him toward
Ticonderoga.
In 1935, military marine
archaeologist Lorenzo Hagglund located Philadelphia's
remains standing upright at the bottom of Lake
Champlain. The wreck was raised to the surface and
salvaged. In 1961 she was bequeathed to the Smithsonian
Institution. Philadelphia and associated artifacts are
now part of the permanent collection of the National
Museum of American History, in Washington, D.C.. The
vessel is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
We build this primarily wood model of the
Philadelphia in the
following sizes:
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56" L x
49" T x 24" W The very first model of this
size was commissioned by
Sons of the American
Revolution in Louisville, KY in 2022. $7,540.
Shipping and insurance
in the contiguous US
included. Other places:
$900 flat rate.
- 36"
L x 30" T x 14" W $3,490
Shipping and insurance
in the contiguous US
included. Other places:
$600 flat rate.
- 28"
L x 24" T x 10" W $2,950
Shipping and insurance
in the contiguous US
included. Other places:
$400 flat rate.
Learn more
about the Philadelphia here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Philadelphia_(1776)
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