General Butler (Lake Champlain Shipwreck)
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The ''General Butler'' was a
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
-rigged sailing canal boat that plied the waters of Lake Champlain and the
Champlain Canal The Champlain Canal is a canal in New York that connects the Hudson River to the south end of Lake Champlain. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used by ...
in the United States states of Vermont and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Built in 1862 and named for American Civil War General Benjamin Franklin Butler, she sank after striking the Burlington Breakwater in 1876, while carrying a load of marble. Her virtually intact wreck, discovered in 1980, is a Vermont State Historic Site and a popular dive site; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.


Description and history

The ''General Butler'' was a hybrid vessel, capable of navigating both the waters of Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal. She was long, with a beam of and a hold depth of . She was built using chine log construction from maple and oak. Since she was used in relatively calm waters, she had a shortened keel, and was fitted with a two-mast schooner sailing rig. She was built in 1862 by the Hoskins and Ross Shipyard of Essex, New York, and was one of the first ships built after the locks of the Champlain Canal were enlarged. In her 15-year career she had three owners. William Montgomery, the final owner, was a known risk-taker, and was carrying a load of marble from
Isle La Motte Isle La Motte is an island in Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont, United States. At 7 mi (11 km) by 2 mi (3 km), it lies close to the place that the lake empties into the Richelieu River. It is incorporated as a New England town in Grand Isle ...
to
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
on December 9, 1876. During bad weather, her steering apparatus failed, and she struck the Burlington Breakwater while trying to round its southern end. The captain, deck hand, and two teenage girls who were passengers (Montgomery's daughter and a friend) were all able to reach the safety of the breakwater before she went down. Her masts and rigging were salvaged soon afterward. with The shipwreck was discovered in 1980, lying in of water about west of the southern end of the Burlington Breakwater. The wreck is virtually intact except for the removal of her masts and rigging, and the effects of settling and silting on her structure, with Captain Montgomery's attempts to jury-rig the vessel's steering mechanism still in evidence. The wreck has since been the subject of numerous excavations. It is a Vermont state historic site, and may be visited by certified divers.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Chittenden County, Vermont __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Chittenden County, Vermont. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Chittenden Count ...
*
List of shipwrecks of the United States This is a list of shipwrecks located in or around the United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. ...


References


External links


Vermont Underwater Preserves official web site
{{NRHP in Chittenden County, Vermont Schooners of the United States Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Burlington, Vermont Transportation buildings and structures in Chittenden County, Vermont Benjamin Butler Vermont State Historic Sites 1876 in Vermont 1862 ships Ships built in New York (state)