USS Enterprise (1775)

2025-10-14T01:27:26Z

71.54.21.21: The Continental Navy was not established until October 13, 1775.

{{Short description|Sloop of the Continental Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Enterprise (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1777}}
| Ship name = ''Enterprise''
| Ship operator = [[Continental Army]]
| Ship builder =
| Ship acquired = Captured 18 May 1775 (as ''George'')
| Ship commissioned =
| Ship recommissioned =
| Ship decommissioned =
| Ship in service =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship renamed =
| Ship reclassified =
| Ship refit =
| Ship struck =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship homeport =
| Ship identification =
| Ship motto =
| Ship nickname =
| Ship honors =
| Ship captured =
| Ship fate = Burned to prevent capture, 7 July 1777
| Ship notes =
| Ship badge =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class =
| Ship type = [[Sloop]]
| Ship tonnage = 70
| Ship length =
| Ship beam =
| Ship height =
| Ship draft =
| Ship decks =
| Ship deck clearance =
| Ship propulsion = [[Sail]]
| Ship sail plan = [[Sloop]]
| Ship speed =
| Ship boats =
| Ship complement = 50 officers and enlisted
| Ship armament = * 12 × 4-pounder guns
* 10 × [[swivel gun]]s
| Ship armor =
| Ship notes =
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label=
|partof=
|codes=
|commanders= [[Benedict Arnold]]
|operations=
*[[Battle of Quebec (1775)]]
*[[Battle of Valcour Island]] (1776)
*[[Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777)]]
|victories=
|awards=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Enterprise''''' was a 12-gun [[sloop]] of the [[Continental Army]] that served in [[Lake Champlain]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. She was the first of a long line of ships of the United States to [[List of ships of the United States Navy named Enterprise|bear the name ''Enterprise'']].

==Service history==
===Built in St. Johns, Quebec===
''Enterprise'' was originally a [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] supply [[sloop]] named ''George'', built at St. Johns (now [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]]) in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]].

===Raid on St. Johns===
In May 1775, a small American force under Colonel [[Benedict Arnold]] sailed up the [[Richelieu River]] on the recently captured {{USS|Liberty|1775|2}}. At 07:00 on 18 May, Arnold and 35 raiders captured the [[Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)|fort]] and [[shipyard]]s at St. Johns, along with the newly launched ''George'', with no loss of life. The unlaunched [[schooner]] {{USS|Royal Savage|1775|2}} was also at the shipyard, and would be captured by the Americans later that year. Two hours later Arnold's raiders left with the newly captured sloop, which was later armed with 12 guns and renamed ''Enterprise''.

===Siege of St. Johns===
{{main|Siege of Fort St. Jean}}
''Enterprise'' was, at first, the most significant warship in the Lake Champlain squadron – which was charged with maintaining American control of the lake early in the war – and at times she acted as [[flagship]] for Colonel Arnold. Control of Lake Champlain and the adjoining [[Hudson River]] would have enabled the British to cut off vital supply routes between [[New England]] and the other [[Thirteen Colonies|colonies]], and it would have allowed British troops to cross and attack [[Albany, New York|Albany]].

On 28 August 1775, ''Enterprise'' and other vessels embarked with more than 1,000 troops as part of an expedition against St. Johns, [[Montreal]], and [[Quebec]]. Though St. Johns and [[Montreal]] were captured, and [[Quebec]] was besieged, the arrival of strong British reinforcements forced the Americans to withdraw from Canada in the spring of 1776. ''Enterprise'' and the other craft sailed to [[Île aux Noix]] in the Richelieu River, where they waited while Arnold directed the building of a fleet at [[Fort Ticonderoga]] and [[Skenesboro, New York|Skenesboro]] (now [[Whitehall (village), New York|Whitehall]]).{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

===Battle of Valcour Island===
{{main|Battle of Valcour Island}}
[[File:Battle of Valcour Island.jpg|thumb|Painting of the [[Battle of Valcour Island]]]]

The battle was finally joined in the Battle of Valcour Island on 11 October 1776 at [[Valcour Island]], near [[Plattsburgh (city), New York|Plattsburgh, New York]], a site of Arnold's choosing. Markedly inferior in firepower, much of Arnold's fleet was sunk or damaged by nightfall. However, he managed to slip the remaining ships, including ''Enterprise'', past the British fleet that night towards [[Crown Point, New York|Fort Crown Point]]. A running battle took place over the next two days, and resulted in the loss of all but five of the American ships. ''Enterprise'' and four others escaped to Crown Point, then sailed on to Ticonderoga.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

====Aftermath of the Battle of Valcour Island====
Although a tactical defeat, the battle was a strategic victory for the Americans. Arnold and his little fleet had disrupted the British invasion into [[New York (state)|New York]] such that it could not be mounted before the onset of winter. It was nearly a year before the advance could be renewed. In that interval American troops were recruited and trained, and on 17 October 1777, under General [[Horatio Gates]], defeated the British decisively at [[Battle of Saratoga|Saratoga, New York]]. This victory was a primary factor in bringing about the [[Treaty of Alliance (1778)|alliance with France]], and bringing the powerful French navy to the aid of the Colonies.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

===Siege of Fort Ticonderoga===
{{main|Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777)}}
During the British advance prior to the Battle of Saratoga, ''Enterprise'' was one of five vessels assigned to duty convoying [[bateau]]x in the evacuation of Ticonderoga. The small American force was no match for the British fleet on Lake Champlain, and after two ships had been captured, ''Enterprise'' and the other two were run aground on 7 July 1777, and burned to prevent their capture.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

==See also==

*[[List of ships of the United States Navy named Enterprise|List of ships of the United States Navy named ''Enterprise'']]

== Notes ==
;Citations
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}

'''Online resources'''
* {{cite DANFS | last = DANFS | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/enterprise-sloop-i.html | title = Enterprise I (Sloop) | publisher = Naval History and Heritage Command | date = 7 July 2015 | access-date = 30 July 2016 | link = yes }} {{PD-notice}}

'''Further reading'''
* {{cite book |title=Benedict Arnold's Navy |first=James L |last=Nelson |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=2006 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-07-146806-0 |oclc=255396879 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sandcastlevi.com/sea/enterprise/voych03.htm An ''Enterprise'' for the Continental Navy] (includes correspondence about ''Enterprise'' from Benedict Arnold and [[Ethan Allen]])
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041205181907/http://seafarer.netfirms.com/2-enter.htm The Life & Times of the First USS ''Enterprise'']

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[USS Enterprise (disambiguation)|USS ''Enterprise'']]|before=(First)|after={{USS|Enterprise|1799|1}} |years=1775-1777}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enterprise (1775)}}
[[Category:Sloops of the Continental Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quebec]]
[[Category:1770s ships]]
[[Category:Lake Champlain]]
[[Category:Provincial Marine]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

USS Enterprise (1775)