Land Tortoise (shipwreck)

Radeau Land Tortoise (Shipwreck) is the Lake George site of a shipwreck from the French and Indian Wars era. The vessel is a radeau. Simple in construction, it was built by the British and Colonial forces in 1758 to help combat the French in North America. She was intentionally sunk by adding ballast two days later in Lake George with plans to resurrect her in the spring of 1759. This plan was never fulfilled, however, leaving the Land Tortoise at the bottom of Lake George for more than two centuries. It is believed to be the oldest intact warship in North America, and is the only surviving ship of its type. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. The site is accessible to the general diving public.