The Gaspée Affair was an important incident in the course of the American Revolution. The HMS Gaspée, a British ship that had been vigorously enforcing unpopular trade regulations, ran aground on June 9, 1772 off of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island while chasing smugglers. In an act of colonial defiance that gained considerable notoriety, the ship was attacked and burned by American Patriots led by Abraham Whipple.