I was recently contacted privately regarding some information regarding the Connecticut for clarification; I will post some of these points here.<\/p>\n
\u25a0The USS Connecticut<\/em> was built under government contract from the end of 1798 into the first half\u00a0of 1799 in the then township of Chatham, the portion now known as Portland, in the section that was later to be known as Gildersleeve.\u00a0 She (the vessel) was never a part of the “Connecticut Navy<\/a>” of the American Revolution, or of the grander “Continental Navy<\/a>“, and not a one<\/em> <\/span><\/strong>of the ships built during the RevWar<\/a> (1775 – 1783) as a warship is known to have survived into the early Federal period (The USS Constitution<\/a> was launched on 21 Oct. 1797<\/span>, all you history revisionists!)<\/em>, and most certainly had not been then “sold into the new United States Navy.”<\/p>\n \u25a0The only “official” vessel of war during the RevWar named the Connecticut<\/em> that I am aware of was a gondola (effectively a gunboat) built at Skenesborough, NY, in 1776 specifically for service in Lake Champlain.\u00a0 She was built not for a “navy” but for the Continental Army, here commanded by Army Captain Grant and was attached to General Benedict Arnold’s command. While she did see combat during the “Battle of Valcour Island” (11-13 Oct, 1776) which delayed the British advance down the Hudson towards NYC, aiding in the American success at Saratoga (17 Oct. 1777), she was never a warship and never a “United States” vessel, our country not yet the United States but a Continental Confederation.\u00a0 Nor was she named “USS<\/strong><\/span> Connecticut<\/em>“, so later applications of her being the “first US” vessel named Connecticut<\/em> is misleading and, in my sincere opinion, inaccurate. This vessel (gondola) was burned on the last day of the battle to prevent capture.<\/p>\n \u25a0The USS Connecticut<\/em> was built under the contract of Seth Overton of Chatham, and he in turn hired Philip Gildersleeve and John Button, both also of Chatham, as sub-contractors to build the vessel and oversee the work.\u00a0 Both these latter gentlemen lived on Shipyard Lane; this street is now known as Indian Hill Avenue and is located on the north end of Portland along the Connecticut River.\u00a0 The river curves in there and the north side of Shipyard Lane (Indian Hill Avenue) was covered in private shipyards.\u00a0 Seth Overton hired the end-most shipyard for the construction – Stevenson’s shipyard – in part because Mr. Stevenson also had a modest ironworks, necessary for the building of the ship.\u00a0 The houses of Philip Gildersleeve, John Button, and Mr. Stevenson remain standing along the south side of Indian Hill Avenue today, and the shipyard is currently a privately owned vacant lot rolling down to the water.\u00a0 The area was not known as “Gildersleeve’s Landing” until many years later, as one of the sons of Philip Gildersleeve – Silvester – opened a rather successful shipyard which was located at the current spot of Petzold’s Marine Center… Not exactly on the spot the Connecticut<\/em> had been built upon, but a stone’s throw away!<\/p>\n I was recently contacted privately regarding some information regarding the Connecticut for clarification; I will post some of these points here. \u25a0The USS Connecticut was built under government contract from the end of 1798 into the first half\u00a0of 1799 in … Continue reading \n