The Mount

The Motorship Mount Washington was originally constructed in 1888 on Lake Champlain and was named S/S Chateauguay. She was a side wheeler and operated between Burlington, VT and Plattsburgh, NY. She was purchased from the Champlain Transportation Company in 1940 as a replacement for the original mount Washington which had been destroyed by fire in 1939. The Chateauguay was dismantled at Burlington. The hull was cut into 20 sections and shipped by rail to Lakeport, NH. There was reassembled, fitted with a new superstructure and converted to steam propeller drive. The result as christened the S/S Mount Washington 2 and was launched in August 1940. Her new career as a steamship was brief, however. Her engines were removed in 1942 for the war effort and she was laid up until the war’s end. In 1946, she was converted to diesel power with the installation of two 615 hp enterprise engines. Changes to the superstructure were also made, and electric service was added.

The ship has undergone two major changes since then, the first during the winter of 1982-93. She was hauled out at the company shipyard in center harbor and cut in half just ahead of the stack. A prefabricated hull section and several pieces of superstructure were added, lengthening the ship by 24 feet. The second major change occurred during the winter of 2009-10 when the enterprise diesels were retired after 64 years of reliable service and replaced with two 750 HP Caterpillar Diesels.

The Mount displaces 750 tons, has a passenger capacity of 1250, and carries a crew of around 15. With the new engines, she is now capable of making almost 16 miles per hour with improved fuel economy and less emissions.

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