USS Saratoga
Launched on April 11, 1814, Saratoga was built in Vergennes, Vermont, and served during the War of 1812. In September, she served as Commodore Thomas Macdonough's flagship during the Battle of Lake Champlain, also known as the Battle of Plattsburgh. The corvette was 143 feet long and had a complement of 212 officers and men. For armament, she had eight 24-pounder guns, six 42-pounder carronades, and twelve 32-pounder carronades.
On September 11, 1814, during the Battle of Lake Champlain, Commodore Thomas Macdonough anchored his ships in a position that the British squadron attacked head on, using only a few guns at a time and suffering heavily on approach. After 2.5 hours, the British squadron was defeated, thus depraving them of Canadian supplies and ending the final invasion of the British in the northern states and effectively bringing an end to the war. Following the War of 1812, Saratoga was laid up until sold at Whitehall, New York, in 1825.
A model of Saratoga is on display at the "Forgotten Wars of the 19th Century" exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Bldg. 76.
A shell fired from Saratoga during the Battle of Lake Champlain is on display at the Forgotten Wars of the 19th Century exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Bldg. 76.
Image: NH 51480-KN: Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain, 1814. Artwork by Edward Tufnell. Courtesy of the NHHC Navy Art Collection.
