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USS New York’s First Battle, October 11, 1776 | The Battle of Valcour Island

233 years ago Benedict Arnold led a motley crew of untrained sailors into what is called the First Battle of the United States Navy.  Having scant resources Benedict had his men build their boats out of local timber and launch them at Skenesborough NY.

Arnold then had his forces, 15 ships and 500 men including the first New York, hide in the lee between Valcour Island and the New York side of Lake Champlain. The British, led by General Guy Carlton, with 25 ships and over 2000 men , transited south past Valcour island looking for the Continental Fleet. Once the British were past the island Arnold sent Royal Savage and Congress out to lure them into his trap.

With the wind at his back and all the Continental ships anchored, the British could only approach one by one. A fierce battle ensued with the British superior marksmanship inflicting severe damage on the beleaguered Americans. First to fall was the Royal Savage, having been unable to fight the headwinds she was run aground and abandoned by the Americans.  During the day New York lost all her officers due to enemy fire and a cannon exploding onboard. At 6:30 PM Gunboat Philidelphia was holed at the waterline she quickly floundered and sank. That evening Arnold held his Council of War aboard Congress and decided to withdraw south along the western coast and seek the cover of the defenses at Crown Point.

The British did not discover the ruse until the next morning and set off in pursuit. They caught up with the Continental boats one by one and Arnold had them run aground before capture to save as many crew and cannons as possible. Eventually Trumbull, Enterprise, Revenge, New York, and Liberty made it to Crown Point where Arnold was forced to burn his ships to prevent capture.

Although technically a defeat this holding action prevented the British from moving south until next year and eventually ended with their defeat and the creation of the United States of America.

By Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune | October 07, 2009, 8:38PM

The ship’s motto is:’Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.’Built with almost eight tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, felled during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the $1.2 billion USS New York departs Northrop Grumman about 7 a.m., and is expected to pass near the French Quarter around 8:15 a.m.

As the USS New York winds down the Mississippi River from Avondale on Tuesday, Oct. 13, en route to its namesake city, local business leaders hope the levees are lined with well-wishers to give the ship’s crew a New Orleans farewell.

“We think that because of this ship’s special nature, it deserves a special send-off, ” said Lola Lass, president of the Greater New Orleans Executives Association, which is organizing the “Line the Levees” event.

She noted the ship’s motto: “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget,” and its analogous ties to the New Orleans region, whose shipbuilders, despite setbacks caused by Hurricane Katrina four years ago, invested sweat in building a vessel that honors a national tragedy.

“We want them to know we will never forget, because as New Orleanians, we know what it’s like to be forgotten, ” Lass said. “As New Orleanians, we can equate that to some of the things we lost in Katrina.”

From the Moonwalk to the Riverwalk on the east bank, and at Algiers Point and spots from Gretna to Belle Chasse on the West Bank, the association is hoping that thousands of people participate. The group will distribute about 2,000 American flags for the event.

Sailors will be posted on the Navy pier in Algiers to pay respects to the passing ship, said Capt. Brian Harrison, commander of Naval Support Activity, where the Navy was exploring whether military protocol allows a formal gun salute in light of the World Trade Center steel.

Thousands of Northrop Grumman shipbuilders and their family members filled the pier at the Avondale shipyard last week to tour the USS New York amphibious transport dock Navy ship. A similar display will occur on the ship, where sailors will be posted on the bridge wings, said Ensign Timothy Gorman, the ship’s public affairs officer. The crew will not formally “man the rails, ” a Navy tradition in which sailors line the outer decks.

“We’ll be saying goodbye as well,” Gorman said. “The crew’s had a good time in New Orleans. They’ve enjoyed visiting the city.”

The city of New York gave Northrop Grumman steel from the World Trade Center in 2002. Amite Foundry and Machine Inc., in Tangipahoa Parish, melted the steel and cast the bow stem, the foremost part of the ship that cuts through the water. The bow stem was barged to Avondale.

At least the sixth Navy ship to carry the New York name, the 684-foot-long LPD 21, or amphibious transport dock ship, is designed to carry 800 Marines, combat gear and helicopters. Its commissioning is scheduled for Nov. 7 in New York.

After the commissioning and the crew’s participation in a Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11, the New York returns to its home port in Norfolk, Va., to begin certifications before it joins the fleet.

“We don’t anticipate being on deployment until late 2010, ” Gorman said.

The New York is the first of three amphibious transport dock ships to be named for sites associated with the Sept. 11 attacks. The Somerset, named for the Pennsylvania county where a hijacked airplane crashed, is being built in Avondale, and the Arlington, named for the Pentagon crash, will be built at Northrop Grumman’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

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Paul Purpura can be reached at ppurpura@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3791.