This image shows a hypothetical illustration of the seven-sided 1758 Land Tortoise radeau in plan view, armed with seven cannons (Image courtesy of Bateaux Below, Inc., Gary Paine, and Pepe Productions).
Discovery of the 1758 Land Tortoise Radeau, "North America's Oldest Intact Warship "
During a Klein side scan sonar survey on June 26, 1990, Bateaux Below members led by Joseph W. Zarzynski discovered the 1758 Land Tortoise Radeau shipwreck, part of "The Sunken Fleet of 1758." The seven sided wooden vessel, lying in 107 feet of water, is a radeau (French for raft), a type of floating gun battery. The incredibly intact and well preserved shipwreck is the only radeau class vessel to have ever been found and studied. Bateaux Below's distinguished historian, Dr. Russ Bellico, dubbed the 1758 Land Tortoise radeau as "North America's oldest intact warship" due to its age and remarkable structural integrity.
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