USS Revenge Shipwreck Reportedly Discovered

A dive team has discovered what they believe to be the remains of the USS Revenge, a famous U.S. Navy ship.

Commanded by Navy hero Oliver Hazard Perry, the ship wrecked and sank in 1811 off the coast of Rhode Island. The shipwreck was discovered by a Connecticut dive team just days before the 200th anniversary of the wreck (Jan. 9), reported the Associated Press. [Related: In Images: Shipwreck Alley's Sunken Treasures .]

If the USS Revenge hadn't sunk, Perry might not be so famous today. After the ship sank, Perry was sent to Lake Erie where he led the defeat of the British in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie

Perry is famous for the line "I have met the enemy and they are ours." The phrase "Don't give up the ship," adorned his battle flag and remains a symbol of the Navy today.

The Hero of Lake Erie, Commander Oliver Hazard Perry.
CREDIT: U.S. Navy

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According to the book "Shipwrecks on the Shores of Westerly," the USS Revenge sank after hitting a reef during a storm and heavy fog.

The divers claim to have found other relics that fit the time period from when the ship sank — cannons, an anchor and other metal objects — but have yet to find anything that definitely identifies the ship as the USS Revenge — such as the ship's bell .

The ship will either be salvaged by the Navy, which has first rights to its shipwrecks, or it could possibly be salvaged privately and its artifacts put on display in a museum.

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Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.