I saw this on side scan sonar and thought of course it has all the attributes of a barge. The large object adjacent to it at a right angle was likely a very big log. Neither was the case.
Turns out this was a commercial life raft made by the Neptune Life Raft Company, Brooklyn NY. I found a Capacity Plate made from lead on the side sitting on top on the tube which I took home and cleaned up. Baking soda and an old electric toothbrush worked really well on it after a good soak.
The tubes are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet in diameter. The plate states it was made on October 11, 1917, and was only the 23rd they had made at that time. The Neptune Company was formed in 1916 so the reference to #23 makes sense.
How this commercial life raft ended up in Winnpesaukee of course I do not know.
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06-17-2015, 07:46 AM
Neptune Life Raft Company
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