From Feb. 11th AP "200-year-old shipwreck off Rhode Island is researched."
Well, actually this was before the War of 1812, but this shipwreck led to Oliver Hazard Perry's somewhat disgrace and caused him to be in command on Lake Erie which led to his return to glory.
It is located a mile off shore by a treacherous reef, but, a US Navy vessel is seeking to confirm that the wreck is that of the USS Revenge, Perry's former command that was lost on a stormy day in 1811.
The ship has largely forgotten to history now, but it weighed heavy on Perry's career when it sank off Rhode Island's Block Island Jan. 9, 1811.
Perry was 25 and in command of the Revenge en route from Newport, Rhode Island, to New London, Connecticut, when he hit a reef in the fog. He ordered cannons to be thrown overboard to lighten the ship, but it wouldn't budge and became a total wreck.
No one died, but Perry was court martialed, exonerated, but his career was in the toilet until his posting to command in the Great Lakes during the war and, of course, the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie and "We have met the enemy...."
Two private citizen divers found the wreck. On their third dive, they found a cannon. They kept it secret for five years, during which time they have found more cannons around the wreck, located in 10-15 feet of water.
The US Navy wants more proof.
The Story Before the War. --DaCoot
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