USS Providence, a gundalow

Gundalow

A gundalow is a type of flat bottom cargo vessel once common in Maine and New England rivers. Up to long, they characteristically employed tidal currents for propulsion, shipping a single lateen sail to harness favorable winds....

, was built at Skenesboro, New York, on Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...

 by the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 for Brigadier-General Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...

's fleet on Lake Champlain in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

Under the command of Captain Simonds, an Army officer, she participated in the engagement at Valcour Island

Battle of Valcour Island

The naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and 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

Crown Point, New York

Crown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, "Point au Chevalure."...

, with the enemy in pursuit and the next morning (the 12th) Providence, being badly damaged, was sunk at Schuyler's Island

Schuyler Island

Schuyler Island, Schuyler[']s Island, or Whitney Island, is an island in Lake Champlain, between Port Kent, New York and Willsboro Bay, opposite Burlington, Vermont...

 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

Burgoyne may refer to:People named "Burgoyne":*Burgoyne Diller , American abstract painter*Mike Burgoyne , Canadian ice hockey player*Hugh Talbot Burgoyne , Irish captain of the Royal Navy, son of John Fox Burgoyne...

's defeat at Saratoga

Battle of Saratoga

The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...

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