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 The Burlington Breakwater is a breakwater providing shelter to the harbor of Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United ...

in 1876, while carrying a load of marble. Her virtually intact wreck, discovered in 1980, is a

Vermont State Historic Site {{short description, None This is a list of official Vermont State Historic Sites in the U.S. state of Vermont. * Bennington Battle Monument State Historic Site – Obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bennington * Chester A. Arthur State His ...

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 to Burlington on December 9, 1876. During bad weather, her steering apparatus failed, and she struck the

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.

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)

Description and history

See also

References

External links