In Narragansett Bay off Aquidneck Island near South Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the wreck sites of HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark preserve the remains of two Royal Navy frigates lost during the American Revolutionary War. Cerberus, built in 1758 with 28 guns, and Lark, launched in 1762 with 32 guns, served in the British blockade and defense of occupied Newport. When a large French fleet entered the bay in August 1778 under Pierre André de Suffren, the two British captains, under orders not to surrender and facing overwhelming force, grounded and burned their ships. The fragmentary wrecks survive as important evidence of the 1778 French expedition to Newport and the naval contest in Narragansett Bay.

Photo: Wikipedia

Melville, Rhode Island · USA