The Burning of the Gaspee 250

The Gaspee was a British revenue cutter that was burned by colonists in 1772 in what is now known as the Gaspee Affair. The ship, under the command of Lieutenant William Dudingston, had been enforcing trade regulations in the colony of Rhode Island and had seized several colonial vessels. In June 1772, a group of colonists, led by John Brown, attacked the Gaspee and set it on fire. The incident was one of the early acts of rebellion against British rule in the colonies and was an important event leading up to the American Revolution.

​Rhode Islanders commemorated the 250th anniversary of the burning of British customs ship the Gaspee with a recreation of the scene on Sunday, June 12, 2022.