The first USS New Haven was a gundalow built in 1776 on Lake Champlain, Capt. Mansfield in command, under General Benedict Arnold, who was a native of the ship's namesake city.
In 1776, the first USS New Haven, designed as a gundalow on Lake Champlain, was commanded by Capt. Mansfield during Benedict Arnold’s time in command, who was from the city that gave the vessel its name.