David LaPell
Blackhawk
Since the weather today wasn't going to be anything but rain, my son and I took a day trip from New York to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes. With a minor surgery coming up, not sure when I will be able to get out later this summer with him like this so we're getting as much done before that we can. I went there about twenty years ago, so I figured it would make a nice day out and the sunny weather and beautiful drive made it go by fast. It was my son's first ferry ride so he got a kick out of it, we were the only car on the ride over, packed deck on the return trip later on.
One of the many canoes and boats at the museum, pretty much every one of them original.
There's one hold building with a couple walls of just outboard motors.
A large ship's wheel.
There was building that was solely for the history of the Revolutionary War on Lake Champlain, in particular the Battle of Valcour Island where the American fleet led by Benedict Arnold held the British fleet in check, keeping them from advancing south despite the loss of their ships. The British could not make it down the lake so late in the year thanks to Arnold.
My son with a large model of the gunboat Philadelphia.
My son with a small British swivel gun from the time of the battle.
A model of the most heavily armed ship in the American fleet, the Washington.
A recovered cannon from the gunboat New York that blew up at the breech end.
The largest exhibit at the museum is the full size replica of the gunboat Philadelphia, 54 feet long, weighing 29 tons and armed with two 9-pound cannons, one 12-pound cannon and eight swivel guns. It had a crew of forty five.
The 12-pound bow cannon.
My son giving the order to fire.
Looking forward from the stern, the two 9-pounders show how close quarters everything was.
My son with the recovered anchor from the wreck of the steamboat Phoenix.
My son with a Mark V diving helmet.
One of the many canoes and boats at the museum, pretty much every one of them original.
There's one hold building with a couple walls of just outboard motors.
A large ship's wheel.
There was building that was solely for the history of the Revolutionary War on Lake Champlain, in particular the Battle of Valcour Island where the American fleet led by Benedict Arnold held the British fleet in check, keeping them from advancing south despite the loss of their ships. The British could not make it down the lake so late in the year thanks to Arnold.
My son with a large model of the gunboat Philadelphia.
My son with a small British swivel gun from the time of the battle.
A model of the most heavily armed ship in the American fleet, the Washington.
A recovered cannon from the gunboat New York that blew up at the breech end.
The largest exhibit at the museum is the full size replica of the gunboat Philadelphia, 54 feet long, weighing 29 tons and armed with two 9-pound cannons, one 12-pound cannon and eight swivel guns. It had a crew of forty five.
The 12-pound bow cannon.
My son giving the order to fire.
Looking forward from the stern, the two 9-pounders show how close quarters everything was.
My son with the recovered anchor from the wreck of the steamboat Phoenix.
My son with a Mark V diving helmet.
