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Plans for the 250th Anniversary of “The Sunken Fleet of 1758”

By Joseph W. Zarzynski & Bob Benway

(This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of the LAKE GEORGE MIRROR newspaper, Lake George, New York, USA)


The SUNKEN FLEET historic marker informs visitors to Lake George, New York about the deliberate sinking by the British of their fleet at Lake George in 1758. The year 2008 marks the 250th anniversary of this historic event. (credit: Bateaux Below, Inc.)
In the autumn of 1758, British and provincial troops at Lake George deliberately sank much of their squadron—260 bateaux, two radeaux, the sloop EARL OF HALIFAX, and some row galleys. Fort William Henry had been destroyed by the French in 1757, so there was no garrison to protect their vessels. The mass sinking, known as “The Sunken Fleet of 1758,” bought the British time to rebuild their army after their July 1758 defeat to the French at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga). Warships later raised from wet storage were used in General Amherst’s 1759 campaign. That offensive pushed the French out of the Champlain Valley and led to a British victory in the French & Indian War.

In 1987, the group today known as Bateaux Below, began a study of the shipwrecks of “The Sunken Fleet of 1758.” So, 2008, the 250th anniversary of this occurrence, will be filled with many activities.

The most scholarly of these is a planned symposium where historians and underwater archaeologists will present academic papers on their studies of “The Sunken Fleet of 1758.” The papers will be published in a proceedings-like journal that shall be available for purchase.

For the past two years, Bateaux Below and Pepe Productions have been collaborating on a new documentary about “The Sunken Fleet of 1758.” The film, to be released next year, is a follow up to the awarding winning DVD—“The Lost Radeau: North America’s Oldest Intact Warship” (www.thelostradeau.com).

Pepe Productions has also donated its services to design a LAND TORTOISE bookmark. In the shape of the seven-sided radeau, the bookmark also includes text detailing the warship’s history. The printing is being funded from sales of “The Lost Radeau” DVD. The bookmark will be distributed to local libraries and schools.

Bateaux Below is working with an area middle school’s Technology Department to construct a 1:1 scale 5-6 ft. wide cross section of the 52 ft. long LAND TORTOISE radeau. This replica cross section would include one of the seven cannon ports on the floating gun battery.

There are several blue-and-yellow historic markers located around the lake related to the events of 1758. Entitled SUNKEN FLEET, MILITARY DOCK, and RADEAU WARSHIP, these signs were erected in the 1990s. They will be repainted in time for next year’s tourist season.

In 1996, Bateaux Below designed a 6 pg. self-guided land tour called “Colonial Wars of Lake George.” It featured 20 stops. Today, the 10,000 copies of the 3.3 mi. excursion are out-of-print. To commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary, plans are underway to develop a guided tour specifically about “The Sunken Fleet of 1758.” Bateaux Below personnel would serve as guides. The tours shall be offered several times over next autumn.

Bateaux Below’s Board of Trustees recently approved an undertaking to produce a new informational leaflet about “The Sunken Fleet of 1758.” The publication would enlighten tourists about this noteworthy historical event and give details about the underwater archaeological study of these shipwrecks.
In October, the Office of General Services reprinted for the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, 1,000 copies of a 16 pg. booklet that gives divers information about Lake George’s “Submerged Heritage Preserves.” Two of the three sites in the state park are 1758 shipwrecks.

Recently, NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration notified Bateaux Below that it did not approve its grant proposal—“Exploring Scouring and Sediment Deposition at the 1758 LAND TORTOISE Radeau.” Over the past two years underwater archaeologists have been monitoring a growing concern, scouring at the radeau. Scouring has exposed hull structure at the National Historic Landmark shipwreck that previously was covered and preserved by bottom sediment. This could destabilize the wreck, accelerating its deterioration. The archaeology team is seeking other funding sources to support mapping the scouring signature and to purchase a water flow meter to record the flow regime at the site.

Finally, Bateaux Below has petitioned the NYS Dept. of Transportation to have that agency erect a new sign on the Northway:

Lake George, NY
Site of 1758 LAND TORTOISE
Radeau Shipwreck,
National Historic Landmark

There is precedence for such signage. A sign on the Northway near Plattsburgh informs motorists that Plattsburgh Bay, site of a major naval battle in the War of 1812, is a National Historic Landmark.
info@thelostradeau.com

©2005 PEPE PRODUCTIONS / BATEAUX BELOW, INC. / WHITESEL GRAPHICS