New Mount Washington Gallery
The images here are only of the shorter new Mount Washington, before her 25′ lengthening in 1983.
The easiest way to tell the difference is to count the number of windows on the lower deck side of the vessel. Pre-1983, there were only 7 windows on each side. After 1983, there are 9 windows.
Pre-1983 Vessel Statistics*:
205′ long
32′ or 35′ beam
7′ or 8′ draft
Engines: twin 615hp
Top Speed: 20 mph
Passenger Capacity:1200 or 1500
*Some stats vary depending upon the source
Images with smoke pouring out of the smokestack were taken between 1940-1941, when the Mount was still driven by steam engines. The engines were removed for the war effort. The Mount was out of service from 1942-1945. In 1946 new diesel engines were installed and the Mount was back in service (and considerably less smokier!)
If you perform a close inspection of these images you will notice that in some of the older images there seems to be only two decks, while the later images seem to show three. This is not an optical illusion. In 1947, the pilot house was raised to the third level. In 1951, additional passenger capacity was added on the third level, both amidships (which required the raising of the smokestack), and in the stern of the craft. The last major change before 1983 was to the the second level. In the stern, the second level was enclosed, while in the bow, the second level was extended all the way to the prow of the vessel.
New Mount Gallery #1 (Small Images)
New Mount Gallery #2 (Large Images)
Full-size images start here
The Chateauguay
The Chateauguay was the original vessel that was cut into sections, moved by freight train from Lake Champlain to Lake Winnipesaukee, and then reassembled in Paugus Bay to form the new Mount Washington.
On August 12, 1940, the newly reassembled Mount made its way through the Weirs Channel, watched by a huge crowd. The steamstack could not yet be installed for the vessel to fit under the Aquedoctan bridge, so the steam engines were non-operational, and the vessel had to be towed through, as evidenced by the tug boats in front of and behind. For a thorough look at the Chateauguay, and the new Mount’s construction, click here.
