On July 1, a collection of 51 timbers and some 1,300 associated artifacts from the Revolutionary War schooner Royal Savage were restored to United States Navy by the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This event opened a new chapter in the remarkable saga of a Lake Champlain shipwreck.

Royal Savage was the flagship of the hastily-assembled American fleet commanded by Benedict Arnold whose mission was to block the advance of the British Royal Navy in 1776. The schooner's 15-month active career ended on Oct. 11, 1776 at the battle of Valcour Island. But that was only the beginning of her story.

The 50-foot topsail schooner known as Brave or Royal Savage was built by the British at St. Jean on the Richelieu River in the summer of 1775. Only weeks after launching, Royal Savage was sunk by American forces under Richard Montgomery, en route to the siege of Quebec. The recovered schooner was turned over to the Americans. When the siege of Quebec failed, Royal Savage was used by American troops evacuating from Canada in the spring of 1776, and she became flagship of the fleet being assembled by the Americans to defend Lake Champlain.

Continue reading here.