The United States Navy has everything from hi-tech submarines to 80,000-ton ‘supercarriers’ that help handle operations on the ground, under the sea, and in the air worldwide. It's a little known fact, though, that the navy's humble beginnings took place right here on Lake Champlain.

“Naval battles had an important influence in the war for independence, starting with the Battle of Lake Champlain,” said Jeffery Richardson of the Naval Historical Society.

Today the waters of Lake Champlain are calm, but during the American Revolution they were the site of an intense battle.

In the spring of 1775, Americans first took up arms against the British. On October 13 of the same year, the Continental Congress had received intelligence that two unarmed British ships were on their way to Quebec with supplies for the British army. They voted on sending two armed ships to intercept and capture the goods.

Not everyone in congress supported the idea of the inexperienced nation taking on the most powerful navy in the world, but after General George Washington took the first steps by fitting out two vessels, Congress established a naval committee that was tasked with equipping an entire fleet. The first U.S. Naval fleet was built in Skenesborough, present day Whitehall, New York, on Lake Champlain.

On October 11, 1776 approximately 30 British ships arrived on Lake Champlain to destroy the rebel fleet and take back Fort Ticonderoga. Waiting for them was an assortment of about 15 rebel ships with crews which their own commander, Benedict Arnold, described as a ‘wretched, motley crew.’

Arnold’s name is sometimes associated with the word “traitor” for becoming disillusioned with the American cause and conspiring to give West Point, New York to the British in 1780. But in the early parts of the Revolutionary War he played a key role in halting the British advance from the north.

In the Battle of Lake Champlain, the rebels fleet hid between Valcour Island and the mainland. This caused the British to sail right past them on the opposite side of the Island and before they realized it, the wind was against them.

Even with this disadvantage, the British managed to cause great damage to Arnold's fleet. After both sides retreated from combat, the Americans found themselves blockaded to the south by the British, who planned to finish them off in the morning. Through an act of incredible stealth though, Arnold managed to sail his fleet around the blockade in the cover of darkness.

“Although the rebels were not victorious, the battle of Lake Champlain was important because it showed what a small, untrained group of men could do to the British navy,” said Richardson.

This diagram shows the baracade set up by the British between the mainland and Valcour Island. (courtesy of Roger Harwood)

To honor this and other battles that Lake Champlain served as a backdrop for, the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation has approved a request for a replica of the “Lone Sailor” statue in Washington D.C. to be put on Vermont’s waterfront. The Lake Champlain Navy Memorial will feature a seven and a half foot tall bronze sailor. Behind him will be six granite engravings depicting historical naval engagements on Lake Champlain. Its dedication date is June 18, 2005.

But Lake Champlain is not the only place that claims to be the birthplace of the navy according to Carol Greenough of the Skenesborough Museum. Delegates from Rhode Island were the first to suggest to congress the idea of building and equipping an American fleet. Marblehead, Massachusetts also holds a claim because they helped to equip and maintain the first ships Washington used to intercept British transports.

Of course North Country residents point to the fact that the first naval operations undertaken by the continental army were on Champlain’s waters.

“Washington’s vessels were important because they prompted congress to accept Rhode Island’s proposal for a navy, but Skenesborough is where the ships were built. Lake Champlain is where they first battled,” said Richardson.

Do you know any stories about the Battle of Lake Champlain? Let us know!

To learn more about The Battle of Lake Champlain and the region’s history, visit:

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
4472 Basin Harbor Road
Vergennes, VT 05491
Open May through October
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
(802) 475-2022

Fort Ticonderoga
Open May 10 through October 23
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Adults: $12
Seniors: $10.80
Youths (7-12): $6
Children under 7: free

Kent-Delord House Museum
17 Cumberland Ave.
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Open March through December
Tuesday–Saturday; noon–4 p.m.
Adults: $5
Children under 12: $2
(518) 561-1035