Gunboat Lost in 1776 Found on Lake Floor

A Revolutionary War wooden gunboat that was part of the 15-vessel fleet commanded by Benedict Arnold before he turned traitor has been found largely intact at the bottom of Lake Champlain. The 54-foot vessel, which was either abandoned or scuttled by retreating American forces after they lost the October 1776 Battle of Valcour Island to the British, is astonishingly well preserved after 220 years in the cold deep water, according to its discoverers, a team from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. No decision has been made on whether to raise the boat, whose name is not yet known.