Namesake:

Battle of Lake Champlain

During the War of 1812, the British launched a joint land and naval attack from Canada down Lake Champlain into New York State. Under the command of General Sir George Prevost, an army of 11,000 men left the Saint Lawrence frontier on August 31, 1814, to march down the west side of the lake. The American army consisted of 3,300 regulars and militia under the command of General Alexander Macomb. Rather than risk a battle against such overwhelming odds, Macomb fell back south of the Saranac River below Plattsburgh. Prevost occupied the village on September sixth and waited for his naval support to arrive. This was a fleet of four ships and twelve gunboats, mounting a total of 92 guns and carrying 800 men, commanded by Captain George Downie.

The American naval commander on the lake, Captain Thomas Macdonough, had long sensed that control of the lake was essential to the defense of New York. He had therefore built up a fleet of 4 ships and 10 gunboats that mounted a total of 86 guns and 850 men. When Downie's ships entered the lake, Macdonough deployed his vessels in a narrow channel across the bay from Plattsburgh and ordered anchors dropped. On September 11, the British ships rounded Cumberland Head to open the battle at a range of 500 yards. For two hours a gun duel raged with no marked advantage to either side. The British were forced to advance on Macdonough without bringing all their guns to bear. Macdonough then swung his ships about bringing fresh guns to bear on the British, forcing Downie to strike his colors. Within 30 minutes the battle was over, with the four British warships seized or destroyed, 168 of their crew killed and 220 wounded. American casualties were slightly less-104 killed, 116 wounded-but no ships were lost. With the loss of his naval arm, the British commander was forced to retreat back to Canada. Prevost was relieved, but to no avail-Lake Champlain proved to be the last battle of the war in the North. It was one of the few times in history that ships at anchor won a naval battle.

While this battle is not as well known as the battle on Lake Erie, commanded by Captain Oliver Hazard Perry, it proved to be most crucial. The outnumbered force, commanded by General Macomb, was all that stood between the British and New York City. Had the British succeeded in capturing their objective, the outcome of the war could have been altered drastically. Lieutenant Colonel John Murray of the attacking British force was heard to have said after the battle: "This is a proud day for America-the proudest day she ever saw."

Historical Notes:

Ship's Crest:

The Shield: Dark blue and gold are the traditional colors associated with the Navy and symbolize the sea and excellence. The green and whit border around the blue field represents the Lake Champlain and the surrounding terrain where two significant naval battles were fought. The first, the Revolutionary War Battle of Valcour Island, is symbolized by the white star on the crest. The second, the War of 1812 Battle of Lake Champlain, is represented by the anchor and cannon on the blue field. The partitions of the border suggest rotation or turning and allude to the American ships) movements during the Battle of Lake Champlain. The vertical position of the naval gun exemplifies the vertical capabilities of the AEGIS CG class naval ship.

The Crest: The eagle bearing in its talons the Naval swords: symbolizes martial strength and the American victory at Lake Champlain. The two swords also represent two previous ships named Lake Champlain. The aggressive action and flight capabilities of the eagle highlight the second ship, the aircraft carrier CV 39, active during the Korean War. The wavy bar represents the Lake Champlain itself. The gold four-pointed star indicates the four missions of a modern AEGIS cruiser, i.e., to offensively engage aircraft. missiles, submarines and surface ships.

PHOTOS