08/20/2026
Have you ever wondered why there’s a ship on the New Hampshire state flag? It’s the USS Raleigh, a 32-gun warship built on Badger’s Island, now part of Kittery, Maine. In 1777, it became the first American naval vessel to carry the American flag into battle.
The ship reflects New Hampshire’s long history as a center of shipbuilding. When the state redesigned its seal in 1931, the ship depicted on it was officially designated as the USS Raleigh. It remains on our state seal and flag today.
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