Paddle steamer Mount Washington (the "Old Mount") The history of the MS
Mount Washington dates back to 1872 when the original
paddle steamer Mount Washington was launched from
Alton Bay. The
Mount was the largest of all the steamers on the lake at in length, with a
beam of . She was driven by a single cylinder steam engine of that operated at approximately 26 RPM. Power was transferred from the vertical cylinder to the paddle wheel shaft by the walking beam, high above the upper deck, oscillating at the frequency of the paddle wheels. She was built by the
Boston and Maine Railroad Company with the intent of transporting cargo and passengers around the lake. By the late 19th century it was not uncommon for her to transport over 60,000 passengers in a single season. In the 1920s, with the rise of the
automobile and declining train usage, the Boston and Maine Railroad Co. made the decision to sell the steamer to Captain Leander Lavallee. Captain Lavallee operated the
Mount as a tourist attraction, still drawing crowds of over 60,000 a season. The "Old
Mount" graced Winnipesaukee for a total of 67 years before being destroyed on December 23, 1939, by fire. She was tied up at dock when a fire started at a nearby railway station. The fire spread down the dock and engulfed her at her home port. Efforts to cut the
Mount loose were to no avail as it was a time of extremely low water and the hull was stuck fast in the mud of the lake bottom.
SS, MV and MS Mount Washington Soon after, a local company was formed to build a new ship. Europe was already at war and obtaining
steel in the USA was impossible because of pre-war munitions stock-piling. Instead, they purchased an old sidewheel vessel on
Lake Champlain: the 1888
Harlan & Hollingsworth-built
Chateaugay, a , iron-hulled
sidewheeler that was being used as a clubhouse for the
Burlington yacht club. It was cut into sections and transported to Lake Winnipesaukee on rail cars. A new twin-screw vessel was designed for the hull being welded back together at
Lakeport. Powered by two steam engines taken from another ocean-going yacht, the new
Mount Washington made her maiden voyage on August 15, 1940. Two years after her launch, the new
Mount's engines and boilers were removed for use in a navy vessel during
World War II. The larger size upped the ship's designation to M/S or "motor ship." More popular, the
Mount makes one or two round-trips on the lake per day during the summer season, as well as numerous dinner dance cruises in the evenings. In March 2010, the
Mount was cut open, the unserviceable circa 1946 motors were removed (Enterprise DMG18 motors: 8cyl 615 hp), and the ship was repowered with two 'green'
Caterpillar motors, giving more power and economy to the ship. ==Notable crew over the years==