Divers: 1811 wreck of Perry ship discovered off RI
By MICHELLE R. SMITH
The Associated Press
Friday, January 7, 2011; 11:17 AM
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A team of divers say they've discovered the remains of the USS Revenge, a ship commanded by U.S. Navy hero Oliver Hazard Perry and wrecked off Rhode Island in 1811.
Perry is known for defeating the British in the Battle of Lake Erie off the Ohio shore in the War of 1812 and for the line "I have met the enemy and they are ours." His battle flag bore the phrase "Don't give up the ship," and to this day is a symbol of the Navy.
The divers say the wreck changed the course of history because Perry wouldn't have been sent to Lake Erie otherwise.
They hope the Navy will salvage the remains, which are mostly metal objects such as cannons and an anchor. Sunday is the wreck's 200th anniversary.
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