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The Anchor of the HMS Confiance

The British Flagship during the Battle of Plattsburgh, the HMS Confiance, is the largest warship ever constructed on Lake Champlain – one of the historic lakes in North America. The Confiance was a 5th rate, 36-gun frigate whose plight led to the victory of the Americans. During the battle, several anchors of the Confiance were shot off by the USS Saratoga – the American Flagship. In the summer of 1996, one of the anchors of Confiance was discovered in the depths of Cumberland Bay. This important relic is the largest anchor ever recovered from the Lake Champlain. It is 13 feet long, and weighs 2,000 pounds. When recovered, the anchor was in a very good shape, particularly its bottom section. It appeared to be painted a blue green color and had a broad arrow identifying government property. In addition, the crosspiece of the anchor had a cannon ball, which carried the words ‘Quebec’ and ‘hawks’ on its flank. When the corrosion was removed, a large dent made by the cannon ball was found in one of the flukes of the anchor. After the renovation processes in Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, the anchor was returned to Plattsburgh City Hall for long-term display.