Dover/Chocorua

[SunsetPointWentworth]

Is there anything left of this wreck? I had seen pictures of the ship in books, but never heard of anything left of the wreck. The last paragraph refers to there being small pieces of the steamboat remaining?


The “Dover, “ not proving large enough for the growing number of passengers, was rebuilt, with some length added, and was renamed the “Chocorua.” On a Sunday morning in August 1866, having been tied up at the Meredith wharf overnight, she was discovered with her stern resting on the lake bottom. It is believed that some member of the crew left a cap off one of the intake tubes, and she filled with water during the night. A diver was summoned from Boston, necessary underwater repairs were made; and with the Meredith town hand-tub, borrowed from the fire department, the boat was pumped out and raised to the surface, to resume operations for the remainder of the season.
With the coming of the “Mount Washington” the “Chocorua” was retired from service and used only for special parties, being finally dismantled in 1875, in a cove just back of the steamboat landing at Alton Bay, where a small part of her remains may still be found.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/15014/thumbs/176The_Chocorua.jpg (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3935)

[Diver1111]

I've researched this vessel and after considering different accounts of what happened I am confident but not positive that she is in fact in "Back Bay" in Alton, also called, depending on what you read, as Rand Cove. This is that little pocket of water on your right as you head into Alton just up the road from Pop's.

I had information that put the Chocorua near the mouth of Alton Bay as you head towards Ship Island etc. but found nothing. I obtained a copy of the original Surveyors' Certificate from the NH Historical Society and if I recall correctly she was very big-well over 100 feet, so it would be hard to miss unless it's all broken up.

Running side-scan in Back Bay I did see two parallel objects that could be gunwhales about 90 feet long, too big and straight in my opinion to be something other than man-made; The viz in the cove there is down to about 2 feet max. so I did not bother diving the object but there is something there "ship-like" and very big.

[NoBozo]

The DOVER was deemed not large enough to accomodate the increase in passengers and was bebuilt and lengthened to 120 feet, and renamed CHOCORUA. :) NB

[SunsetPointWentworth]

Thank you Diver1111. I missed this until just now. Your time and effort is appreciated. Happy exploring Hans!