Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > Diving Winnipesaukee
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-07-2015, 02:13 PM   #1
Diver1111
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Exeter NH
Posts: 596
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1,027 Times in 224 Posts
Default Original Mt. Washington-Post #1-50 foot section

Last September I found on side-scan-sonar a very large piece of what looked like a ship. I measured it out at about 50 feet long with the sonar software. It also had what appeared to be handrail running along one side. As my ear had not healed I asked Senter Cove Guy to dive it and tell me what he found.

He called and said he believed it was a piece of the original Mt. Washington that burned at the Weirs Pier in December of 1939 during that awful fire. She burned to the waterline.

He said four things that made him think this was the original Mount Washington-there were 3” diameter lines (ropes) on it, there were massive 3-4 foot long steel deck cleats, it appeared to have been blown apart and it was badly burned. I have read that when they removed her remains they had to use dynamite to get it all out of her berth.

I am very confident but not positive I have located three sections of the Old Mount. Given the nature of what I saw diving these sites, and what I know about her demise, these are bona fide remnants of the original Mount Washington steamer. The construction on everything I have found to date is rugged and massive.

All three sections I am posting-starting with this 50 foot (stern?) section show signs of being ripped apart (by the dynamite I assume), are all badly burned and are all big by any measure.

- Post 1: The 50 foot section of decking with cleats and lines;

- Post 2: a section of decking perhaps 30 feet long-big, burned and blown;

- Post 3: Either the port or starboard paddle wheel; Actually ½ of a paddle wheel, stuck in the mud on edge like a donut.



http://youtu.be/EWPtCwDToVY

HH

All images and video Copyright 2015 / Hans Hug & Sonar Search & Recovery / www.sonarsar.com
Attached Images
        
Diver1111 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to Diver1111 For This Useful Post:
Just Sold (07-07-2015), Lakegeezer (12-05-2015), Pine Island Guy (07-08-2015), pjard (07-07-2015), Rattlesnake Gal (07-08-2015), Senter Cove Guy (07-07-2015), Slickcraft (07-07-2015), SunsetPointWentworth (07-10-2015), Tallyho (07-12-2015), winnasake (09-01-2015), Wolfeboro Matt (06-25-2016)
Old 07-07-2015, 02:42 PM   #2
SIKSUKR
Senior Member
 
SIKSUKR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,075
Thanks: 215
Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts
Default

Really really cool Diver.Congrats!
__________________
SIKSUKR
SIKSUKR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2015, 06:15 PM   #3
pjard
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Gilford, NH
Posts: 626
Thanks: 451
Thanked 184 Times in 97 Posts
Default

Great post...THANK YOU
pjard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2015, 12:03 AM   #4
Senter Cove Guy
Senior Member
 
Senter Cove Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 593
Thanks: 279
Thanked 427 Times in 139 Posts
Default 2nd Best Dive In Lake Winnipesaukee For Me

My #1 dive will always be when I found the car in Melvin Bay but this piece of wreckage is clearly the next best because of the history involved. When we dove this on 09/27/2014, the visibility was terrible. It was so dark that lights would only let you see just a few feet in front of you. The visibility on 06/10/2015 when this video was made clearly shows visibility of 20 feet +, a dramatic and pleasant change.
__________________
Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.
Senter Cove Guy is online now   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Senter Cove Guy For This Useful Post:
Rattlesnake Gal (07-08-2015), SunsetPointWentworth (07-10-2015)
Old 07-08-2015, 07:16 AM   #5
Rattlesnake Gal
Senior Member
 
Rattlesnake Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Central NH
Posts: 5,252
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 1,447
Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts
Talking Wow!

Thank you very much for sharing this incredible find! Hans, you are an amazing treasure hunter!

Senter Cove Guy, thank you for your part in getting the footage. I am sure that was hard for Diver1111 not to be able to dive the wreck himself.

I loved the newspaper article and find it amazing they used dynamite to scuttle her.
Rattlesnake Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Old 07-08-2015, 08:07 AM   #6
Senter Cove Guy
Senior Member
 
Senter Cove Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 593
Thanks: 279
Thanked 427 Times in 139 Posts
Default Clarification

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal View Post
Thank you very much for sharing this incredible find! Hans, you are an amazing treasure hunter!

Senter Cove Guy, thank you for your part in getting the footage. I am sure that was hard for Diver1111 not to be able to dive the wreck himself.

I loved the newspaper article and find it amazing they used dynamite to scuttle her.
To be clear, DIVER1111 was unable to dive on 09/27/14 but he and I dove on 06/10/15 and he shot the video. He's got "all the toys".
__________________
Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.
Senter Cove Guy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2015, 08:23 AM   #7
Rattlesnake Gal
Senior Member
 
Rattlesnake Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Central NH
Posts: 5,252
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 1,447
Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts
Default

Oops, I misunderstood. What a cool dive for you both!
Rattlesnake Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 11:22 PM   #8
SharkBaitDiving
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Malden, MA & Fay's Boat Yard Gilford, NH
Posts: 58
Thanks: 121
Thanked 16 Times in 9 Posts
Default Great video and info!!!

Thanks Hans and Grant!!
Great pics, video, & info.
SharkBaitDiving is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2015, 07:52 PM   #9
SunsetPointWentworth
Senior Member
 
SunsetPointWentworth's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: claremont/wolfeboro
Posts: 155
Thanks: 114
Thanked 51 Times in 26 Posts
Default

This is so incredible. What a find! Congrats and thanks for sharing it with us. Last year when I heard the details of how they used explosives on the hull, I figured you wouldn't find anything good. But the hand rail! I never thought I'd be so thrilled to see a damn hand rail!
SunsetPointWentworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2015, 07:02 PM   #10
tis
Senior Member
 
tis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,369
Thanks: 711
Thanked 1,371 Times in 947 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy View Post
My #1 dive will always be when I found the car in Melvin Bay but this piece of wreckage is clearly the next best because of the history involved. When we dove this on 09/27/2014, the visibility was terrible. It was so dark that lights would only let you see just a few feet in front of you. The visibility on 06/10/2015 when this video was made clearly shows visibility of 20 feet +, a dramatic and pleasant change.
I was hunting for the thread about that car. Do you know where it is? I couldn't bring it up in search. Thanks.
tis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2015, 08:30 PM   #11
Rattlesnake Gal
Senior Member
 
Rattlesnake Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Central NH
Posts: 5,252
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 1,447
Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts
Arrow Here You Go

Old Car Found in Winnipesaukee
Rattlesnake Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Rattlesnake Gal For This Useful Post:
tis (07-14-2015)
Old 07-13-2015, 08:32 PM   #12
Rattlesnake Gal
Senior Member
 
Rattlesnake Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Central NH
Posts: 5,252
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 1,447
Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts
Arrow Pretty Great, For Sure!

Quote:
Originally Posted by SharkBaitDiving View Post
Thanks Hans and Grant!!
Great pics, video, & info.
Hans and Brad.
Rattlesnake Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2015, 06:14 AM   #13
tis
Senior Member
 
tis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,369
Thanks: 711
Thanked 1,371 Times in 947 Posts
Default

Thanks so much, RG!!!!
tis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2015, 11:36 AM   #14
Dave R
Senior Member
 
Dave R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,974
Thanks: 246
Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts
Default

That's such a cool find, thanks so much for sharing.

At the 1:15 to 1:25 time of the video you can clearly spot the section of railing (due to change in the post spacing, and the abrupt end of the lower rail) that was just aft of the port side paddle wheel as seen in this still-shot:

Dave R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2015, 09:52 AM   #15
Diver1111
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Exeter NH
Posts: 596
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1,027 Times in 224 Posts
Default Old pictures of the fire

Paul Goodwin at Watermark Marine told me to Google "New Hampshire Then & Now". It seems to be spread over more than one URL, including Facebook.

Interesting pictures I've never seen before of the aftermath.

Photos are from the Robert J. Girouard collection.

You may need to zoom in on them for better clarity.
Attached Images
  
Diver1111 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Diver1111 For This Useful Post:
Just Sold (09-01-2015), rander7823 (09-01-2015), Senter Cove Guy (09-01-2015), Tallyho (09-02-2015), trfour (09-01-2015)
Old 09-01-2015, 09:12 PM   #16
Senter Cove Guy
Senior Member
 
Senter Cove Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 593
Thanks: 279
Thanked 427 Times in 139 Posts
Default Two Cleats = Bow Section

I was onboard the current Mount Washington recently and saw that the bow section has 2 cleats on both the port and starboard sides. I asked a mate how many cleats were on the stern and was told one on each side. It seems logical that this wreck section is part of the original Mount's bow.
__________________
Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.
Senter Cove Guy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2015, 07:01 AM   #17
Senter Cove Guy
Senior Member
 
Senter Cove Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 593
Thanks: 279
Thanked 427 Times in 139 Posts
Default I've Changed My Mind

This picture of the stern of the Original Mt Washington is very compelling as it clearly shows the spacing of the metal rope holes on the deck. When compared to DIVER1111's underwater video from June 2015, the spacing is identical. Furthermore, note that in the picture, wire vs. wood connects the uprights. The uprights of the bow are connected by wood. When we dove the wreckage, the uprights were not connected by wood and I assume the wire would have rusted completely away over 75 years. My conclusion now is that the wreckage we dove really is the stern.

I've outlined the area I think is in the video, although I think it's the starboard side, not the port, because of the curvature.
Attached Images
 
__________________
Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.

Last edited by Senter Cove Guy; 12-05-2015 at 12:34 PM. Reason: Extra info
Senter Cove Guy is online now   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Senter Cove Guy For This Useful Post:
Grant (12-07-2015), Jersey Ed (12-05-2015), Just Sold (12-05-2015), Tallyho (12-08-2015), webmaster (12-05-2015)
Old 12-05-2015, 09:00 AM   #18
Lakegeezer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Moultonboro, NH
Posts: 1,656
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 342
Thanked 614 Times in 277 Posts
Default Big fish!

Great video. Thanks! What kind of fish was that at 4:20 into the clip?
__________________
-lg
Lakegeezer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2015, 11:12 AM   #19
Senter Cove Guy
Senior Member
 
Senter Cove Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 593
Thanks: 279
Thanked 427 Times in 139 Posts
Default Fish ID

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakegeezer View Post
Great video. Thanks! What kind of fish was that at 4:20 into the clip?
It is a nice sized cusk.
__________________
Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.
Senter Cove Guy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-07-2015, 10:21 AM   #20
Grant
Senior Member
 
Grant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Pennsyltuckey, Tuftonboro, Moultonborough
Posts: 1,485
Thanks: 337
Thanked 212 Times in 116 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy View Post
It is a nice sized cusk.
If I were an ice fisherman at Derby time, and was keen on winning for largest cusk, I'd hit some of the wrecks. The only cusks I've ever seen in the Lake were lurking in wrecks.
__________________
"When I die, please don't let my wife sell my dive gear for what I told her I paid for it."
Grant is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.24268 seconds