USS Spitfire ( 1776 gunboat ) The USS " Spitfire " was an American gundalow that operated as a gunboat in 1776 on Lake Champlain . She was part of Benedict Arnold ' s small , hastily - built fleet of ships whose purpose was to counter any British invasion forces passing through the lake from Canada . Her service life was brief ; after only a few months patrolling the lake she was lost in the aftermath of the Battle of Valcour Island . The gunboat ' s wreck was located and documented by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum . Prelude . American militia under Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen had captured Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 . Later that year these forces were involved in the invasion of Canada , but poor weather and timely arrival of British reinforcements caused the Americans to fall back to Fort Ticonderoga in May 1776 . There they proceeded to build a gunboat fleet to help repel an expected British invasion ( Nelson 2006 : 30ff ) . The British , under the command of General Guy Carleton , realized that they needed to control Lake Champlain in order to conduct a successful campaign in New York . Since area roads were usually poor quality ( if they existed at all ) , lakes and rivers were important transport routes for both sides . By controlling Lake Champlain , British forces in Canada could potentially link up with forces in New York City and crush the rebellion in America ( Nelson 2006 : 39ff ) . The gunboats . The " Spitfire " was one of eight gundalows built in Skenesborough ( later renamed Whitehall ) . These gundalows , outfitted as gunboats , were built without plans though the shipwrights followed basic dimensions and instructions written by Benedict Arnold . The design of the American gunboats shows a balance between the need for rapid construction and effectiveness for their intended purpose . The gunboats all followed a common pattern . They were mostly decked over , with the middle third of the hull being open down to the bilge , thus dividing the deck into three sections . The low middle platform abaft the mast held the two broadside cannon ( usually 9 - pounders ) and a fireplace . The guns were not opposite of each other in order to give more room to work them . The bow platform held the bow gun , usually a 9 or 12 - pounder . Cannons were in short supply , so in the case of the gunboat the bow gun was of Swedish origin cast about 100 years earlier . The stern platform held the helmsman and officers . This platform also held two arms chests . The rail caps had sockets for oarlocks , pivot guns and stanchions for awnings . Later on , fascines were added to the rail caps for protection against small arms fire . The gunboats carried positions for 12 oars , 6 per side . The rigging consisted of a single mast with a square mainsail and a topsail . To counteract the weight of the bow gun , the stern area held stones for ballast . Due to their square sails and flat , shallow bottoms the gunboats could only sail in wind blowing from astern . ( Chapelle 1949 : 110f ; Delgado 2001 : 97f ; Nelson 2006 : 235ff , 250f ) Early service . As soon as the gunboats ( and galleys ) were launched at Skenesborough , they were sent to Fort Ticonderoga to be fitted out with sails and rigging . The warships , initially under the command of Jacobus Wynkoop , were then sent to patrol the northern part of the lake . The " Spitfire " had joined the fleet by early August and participated in some of Wynkoop ' s early patrolling of the lake . Benedict Arnold was originally sent to Skenesborough to expedite the boat construction going on there , but by August 1776 , he was sent to take over command of the fleet . He spent the time between August and October patrolling the lake and reconnoitering the British naval and troop buildup going on in St . Johns . ( Nelson 2006 : 257ff ) On August 25 , the fleet was sailing north to reconnoiter the British strongholds . While at anchor a violent storm blew in on August 26 . All of Arnold ' s ships except the " Spitfire " were able to sail out into the open lake . The " Spitfire " was anchored closest to the lee shore , and was initially unable to set sail against the storm . Arnold ordered her to stay anchored in an attempt to ride out the storm while the rest of the fleet sailed south until they found a sheltered anchorage . The " Spitfire " managed to survive the two - day storm and was able to rejoin the fleet at Buttonmold Bay . ( Nelson 2006 : 264f ) By the first week in September , the American fleet was at the northern end of Lake Champlain , near the British base at St . Johns , Canada . They encountered many enemy troop encampments , and despite British efforts to lure them closer they did not try to attack St . Johns . After briefly observing enemy efforts at building shore batteries , Arnold sailed south on September 8 to Isle La Motte . There he considered making his stand against the impending British invasion , but upon hearing reports of British naval strength Arnold took the fleet further south to Valcour Island . The fleet arrived there on September 24 . ( Nelson 2006 : 269ff ) While at Valcour Island the fleet trained and waited for the British . During this time the galleys that were building at Skenesborough were completed and joined the fleet , which now consisted of three galleys , three schooners , eight gunboats and one sloop . A guard boat was sent out daily to the north end of the island to look for the British approach , which finally occurred on October 11 . ( Nelson 2006 : 290ff ) Action at Valcour Island . The British fleet had started making its way south on October 9 . The fleet , under command of Thomas Pringle , consisted of one ship sloop , three schooners , one radeau , and over twenty gunboats . A small fleet of flat bottomed boats and bateau s carrying the British army followed . Pringle had imperfect intelligence of Arnold ' s whereabouts , and had sailed past Valcour Island before seeing the American fleet at anchor in the strait between the island and the mainland . However , the British fleet now had to sail against the prevailing north winds to reach the American fleet . The British gunboats , using their oars , were able to get into action quickly , with only sporadic help from the other British warships . ( Nelson 2006 : 293ff ) The American fleet was anchored across the southern part of the strait in a crescent shaped line . Arnold had hoped that the British would initially bypass him and be forced to claw their way against the wind in order to attack . On that count he was successful , and the day was primarily a battle between the gunboats on the British side and the schooners , galleys , and gunboats on the American side . By the end of the day the Americans lost one schooner , the " Royal Savage " . A gunboat , the " Philadelphia " , was so damaged that she sank that evening . All the other boats , including the " Spitfire " , were damaged . ( Nelson 2006 : 299ff ) Arnold decided that , due to the battered condition of his fleet and the lack of ammunition , he would withdraw south to Fort Ticonderoga . His fleet was able to slip past the British on the night of October 11 – 12 . The following morning the British fleet , surprised to find the Americans gone , initiated a pursuit . This pursuit lasted over the next two days . In the end , only one galley , two schooners , the sloop and one gunboat survived to reach the fort . ( Nelson 2006 : 310ff ) Although the battle was a defeat for the Americans , it ultimately paved the way for a decisive American victory the next year at Saratoga . The " Spitfire " initially made its way south with the rest of Arnold ' s fleet towards Schuyler Island on the night of October 11 – 12 . There the fleet halted to make repairs before resuming its flight toward Fort Ticonderoga . The " Spitfire " , however , succumbed to battle damage and was abandoned , sinking in the early morning hours of October 12 in deep water off Schuyler Island . The wreck lay undisturbed until 1997 , when its intact remains were discovered during a survey by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 .