Nothing jumpstart technical maturation like a dear war . WWII turn over usUAVs , WWI introduced army tank , and the French - Indian War produced a unparalleled gun barrage fire — more carom flotilla than warship — the radeau .
The TV - Guided Drones of World War II
A radeau ( French for “ raft ” ) is basically just that — a basic , flat - bottomed , multi - purpose , floating platform . They were particularly popular as buoyant battle station in the American Colonial geological era given their simple-minded conception and adaptability . But while all radeau are rafts , not all rafts are radeau . Vessels designated as radeau specifically are super rare , in fact . The last surviving ( intact ) example of this class of public-service corporation ship , the Land Tortoise , lies at the bottom of Lake George in New York .
Designed by Captain Samuel Cobb and constructed by British and compound troops in 1758 , the Land Tortoise was built to serve as a lake - found artillery platform in their fight against the French . The watercraft measure out 50 foot long by about 17 feet wide with room for seven cannons and would have been actuate by either a short mast or a hardening of 26 rower , had it ever been fully outfitted .
The original plan was to build the platform then scuttle it for the winter , so that it would be protected from enemy detection by the lake ’s loggerheaded Earth’s crust of ice . Come springtime , it would then be raised from the depths , fully fit and set about ruin the weeks of foeman Quebecois manning Fort Carillon at the other end of the lake . alas , the workers load too much ballast onto the radeau , sinking it 200 feet down into the lake where they were unable to regain it .
The crew built a unexampled radeau in the springtime , the Invincible , and still managed to lose the fight at Fort Carillon despite outnumber the French 5 to 1 . The Land Tortoise , conversely , remained overwhelm for the next 232 years until a team of diver playing with a newfangled side - scan echo sounder organisation falter upon the historic uncovering . In 1998 , the site was indicate a National Historic Landmark , only the sixth wreck in the country to be bestowed the honor . The vessel is open for tours , just so long as you ’re PADI certified . [ Neatorama – Wiki1,2 – National Park Service – Lake George Historical Organization ]
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