Unlocking the Secrets of the Gunboat at Ground Zero - Dr. Warren Riess

Dr. Warren Riess is Research Associate Professor of History, Emeritus at the University of Maine. His research and teaching have focused on the social and maritime history and archaeology of Colonial and Revolutionary America. Riess was the principal investigator of the ship remains discovered at the World Trade Center in 2010. Here, he shares insights into the ship’s discovery, historical context, and the meticulous conservation process that brought this rare vessel back to life. This 18th-century gunboat had been buried in landfill along the Hudson River shoreline for over two centuries. Believed to have been built near Philadelphia in the 1770s and possibly captured by the British during the war, the ship’s remains, along with other artifacts, offer an extraordinary glimpse into early American maritime history.