Repairing at Gosport in Virginia

The British ship HMS Thetis lies on its side at the Gosport Naval Yard, while workers in boats make repairs to its hull. British naval officer and maritime artist George Tobin completed this sketch in 1795. Gosport had been a significant site for the Virginia fleet during the American Revolution—it was one of two shipyards charged with constructing new vessels for the Virginia Navy. In May 1779, British admiral George Collier raided the Virginia coast and took control of the Gosport shipyard. Before fleeing the site, the Americans set fire to their newly completed frigate Virginia to avoid it falling into British hands. They were forced to abandon six other ships at various stages of construction, a major setback for the Virginia Navy. Following the war, the shipyard at Gosport was unused until 1795, when the U.S. government commissioned it to construct a 44-gun frigate. The former Gosport shipyard is now the site of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.