USS ''Providence'', a gundalow, was built at

Skenesboro, New York Whitehall is a village located in the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village population was 2,614 in 2010. The village of Whitehall is located jus ...

, on Lake Champlain by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

for Brigadier-General

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

's fleet on Lake Champlain in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. Under the command of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Simonds, an Army officer, she participated in the engagement at Valcour Island between Arnold's fleet and a British squadron on 11 October 1776. After the battle, their ammunition nearly exhausted, the Americans retreated towards Crown Point, with the enemy in pursuit and the next morning (the 12th) ''Providence'', being badly damaged, was sunk at Schuyler's Island by her own crew to prevent capture. This tactical defeat was a strategic victory for the Americans since Arnold's little fleet enabled the rebelling colonists to prepare for the renewed British onslaught the following summer which ended in

Burgoyne Burgoyne is a surname introduced to England following the Norman conquest of 1066, which denoted someone from Burgundy (''Bourgogne'' in French). Notable people with the name include: *Alan Burgoyne (1880–1929), British soldier, politician a ...

's defeat at Saratoga.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence (1776 gundalow) Row galleys of the Continental Navy Ships built in Whitehall, New York Ships of the Continental Navy 1776 ships Maritime incidents in 1776