New efforts are underway into raising the historic Revolutionary War gunboat, the Spitfire, from the bottom of Lake Champlain. The plan being put forth by Art Cohn and other nautical archeologists would support efforts to raise & conserve the historic gunboat from the lake bottom where it has sat for nearly 250 years since sinking the day after the Battle of Valcour in 1776.
Cohn is recommending the gunboat become the centerpiece of a new museum on the New York side of the lake in Clinton County that would share Lake Champlain’s military history with a new generation. New studies are underway in the coming months into evaluating the condition of the boat, as well as the formation of business plans to finance the raising and conservation of the Spitfire and finding a permanent location to display it.
The New York State Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation attended Cohn’s presentation in Plattsburgh last week and says there are discussions underway on the State’s interest and role in showcasing the Spitfire if it is indeed raised from the lake bottom.