 a 17th Century Woodcut/Sketch of Le Griffon
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Le Griffon |
| Builder | French explorer La Salle |
| Launched | 1679 |
| Fate | Disappeared on the return trip of her maiden voyage in 1679 |
| Notes | First full sized sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Barque |
| Tons burthen | 45 tuns |
| Length | 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 m) |
| Beam | 10-to-15-foot (3 to 5 m) |
| Sail plan | one or two masts; square sails |
| Armament | 7 cannon |
Le Griffon (French pronunciation: [lə ɡʁifɔ̃], The Griffin) was a sailing vessel built by French explorer and fur trader René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in the Niagara area of New York in 1679.
Le Griffon was constructed and launched at or near Cayuga Island on the Niagara River and was armed with seven cannons. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque. She was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes up to that time. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on Le Griffon's maiden voyage on 7 August 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. The ship landed on an island in northern Lake Michigan adjacent to Green Bay where the local tribes had gathered with animal pelts to trade with the French. La Salle and company disembarked and on 18 September sent the ship back toward Niagara. On its return trip from the island, it vanished with all six crew members and its load of furs.
One consequential result of the effort to build Le Griffin was the discovery of Niagara Falls on the namesake river between lakes Erie and Ontario.
While there have been many theories over the years, there is no clear consensus as to the fate or current location of Le Griffon.
- ^ Mansfield, J.B., Ed. (1899). History of the Great Lakes: Volume I. Chicago, Illinois: J.H. Beers & Co. pp. 78–90. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
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