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ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY
 "The Lost Radeau: North America's Oldest Intact Warship" is a 57 minute long DVD documentary about a unique French and Indian War (1755-1763) shipwreck in Lake George, New York, a 32 mile long waterway in the eastern part of the Adirondack Mountains. The historic watercraft was discovered in 1990, by a group of underwater explorers using state-of-the-art Klein side scan sonar. That research team later became known as Bateaux Below, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the study of the Land Tortoise and other shipwrecks in Lake George. The seven-sided Land Tortoise radeau was a British and provincial floating gun battery. It is the only surviving example of the radeau class of vessels and thus is considered to be one of the nation's most historic shipwrecks. The documentary details the history of the Land Tortoise radeau, its brief military career, and its deliberate sinking in 1758 by British forces to protect it over the winter from marauding French and their Native American allies. "The Lost Radeau" is not just the story of a French and Indian War shipwreck. It is likewise the intriguing account of how a small group of historians, divers, and underwater archaeologists overcame numerous obstacles in their endeavor to study the shipwreck. Challenged by the depth of the submerged vessel, 107 ft., and without major funding, the research team nevertheless completed a multi-year in depth archaeological study of this one-of-a-kind warship and then helped develop strategies to protect and preserve this National Historic Landmark. The documentary, written by J.R. Whitesel and Joseph W. Zarzynski, was made over an 18 month period. The DVD includes interviews of people instrumental in the archaeological study and submerged cultural resources management of the historic 18th century warship. The documentary also contains never before seen underwater footage of the Land Tortoise as well as special animation created by J.R. Whitesel. All this makes "The Lost Radeau: North America's Oldest Intact Warship" an exciting production not to be missed. |
©2005 PEPE PRODUCTIONS / BATEAUX BELOW, INC. / WHITESEL GRAPHICS