Historic Lake George - Underwater
Courtesy of Bob Benway of Bateaux
Below, Inc.
Beneath the clear waters of Lake George
lie shipwrecks from an era that predates the United States of America. The
British fought the French for control of this continent for many years,
culminating in the French and Indian War of 1755-1763. The many
reconstructed land sites such as Forts William Henry, Ticonderoga and George
are familiar to most people but underneath the waters of Lake George are
intact reminders of a time when young George Washington was still learning
his military skills.
Of particular interest is a vessel known
as a radeau, it was a floating gun battery that offered its crew some
means of protection due to its unique shape, much like the sloping sides
of the Confederate vessel VIRGINIA, a.k.a. MERRIMAC. It typically carried
large cannons that could be off-loaded and used on land. Sunk in 104 feet
of water in the southern basin is one of these vessels which was discovered
in 1990 by Bateaux Below, Inc., a local underwater archaeological survey
group. Historic research proved her to be the LAND TORTOISE built by
Captain Samuel Cobb in 1758. She is not really a wreck; she’s a brand new
boat that just happens to be 244 years old (in 2002) having been
intentionally sunk only 2 days after her launching. The British built her
after suffering a major loss to the French, her intended purpose was to lead
and protect a column of vessels up the lake on the next attack. However she
was never recovered and another was built to take her place. Since Fort
William Henry had been burned down the previous year and there was no safe
place for the soldiers to winter at the lake, the British sank approximately
260 boats of various classes in the fall of 1758 to keep them out of French
hands; they had a nasty habit of burning British property.
The vessel today is an underwater museum for divers under the management of
NY DEC and can be visited during the summer months free of charge. The Lake
George Historical Association was instrumental in establishing this site
into what she is today. Not only is the LAND TORTOISE on the National
Register of Historic Places, she also has the honor and status of being a
National Historic Landmark, one of only 6 other shipwrecks in the country to
make it there. This puts her in company with other famous wrecks such as
the ARIZONA and MONITOR.
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