Pile Driver barge photos

Diver1111 · 09-29-2009, 12:09 PM

More pictures taken by my dive buddy Lea Nichols and I diving the barge off the Weirs; As I can't label each uploaded photo what we have here are shots of the winch spool(s), steam? piping, parts of the H-frame, shots of the hull etc..

I compressed these for uploading using MS-Office Picture Manager, hence I think they got cropped a bit. Wish they were a bit larger.

Nadia · 09-30-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diver1111

More pictures taken by my dive buddy Lea Nichols and I diving the barge off the Weirs; As I can't label each uploaded photo what we have here are shots of the winch spool(s), steam? piping, parts of the H-frame, shots of the hull etc..

I compressed these for uploading using MS-Office Picture Manager, hence I think they got cropped a bit. Wish they were a bit larger.

Thanks for posting these photo's Diver1111, keep them coming! I don't dive myself but your findings are truly fascinating. One of the coolest threads I ever came across on the forum was created by a diver who found a car that sunk to the bottom of Winni. I think it was somewhere in a cove near Melvin Villiage. This is really interesting.

I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly, but considering what you posted, are you saying that these are the pieces of what was once a barge? And that this barge is fairly close to the Weirs Beach area? We just bought two new toys (snow machine & camper to put on our land in Ossipee) but now I want to start Scuba Diving! LOL.

Diver1111 · 10-01-2009, 08:01 PM

Nadia,

Yes this is a wreck set up for pile-driving work to create piers etc., and is a steam-powered, industrial barge approx. 90 feet long; It is on the chart NW of the Weirs channel. The pile-driving apparatus on the bow has fallen forward into the lake bed on a NW bearing of about 300 magnetic; It is about 30 feet long and stood vertically on the bow; I have attached another photo of the pile-driver barge "Dago" with a similar rig on her bow to help you visualize this.

The story of the Dago is for another day-I believe the Dago is not this wreck, but will try and prove or dis-prove this notion as soon as I can.

While I have posted in the past "so-so" side-scan-sonar images of this barge, seeing photos in living color is a great way to understand what is down there; Note that water-logged wood is a tough side-scan target to capture, but it of course can be done with mixed results. If she was steel it would produce a much better SSS image.

If folks liked these pictures note that I am trying now to post a 1GB, 5 minute long, video clip of this same dive-have some technical issues to address first; As it's such a big file it will appear via a link to Google Video or some other such site that can host such a big file-neat stuff-I really liked it when I saw how it came out.

Understand also that the visibility is nothing to write home about down there so there is no way to view, say, the entire wreck in one shot (video or picture). All we can do is take images of sections and leave the rest up to your imagination. Side-scan-sonar does help in this respect, though-it's the only way to see the big picture under these circumstances.

Hope this answers your question.

Senter Cove Guy · 10-02-2009, 10:30 AM

What date were the underwater pictures taken? The clearness in the pictures shows an underwater visibility far, far better than the visibility that Grant and I had when we dove this wreck in July this summer.

Can't wait to see your video.

It really too bad that I never took a video of the car that I found in Melvin Bay. You should see what the scavengers have done to the car in the past 5 years.

Grant · 10-02-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy

What date were the underwater pictures taken? The clearness in the pictures shows an underwater visibility far, far better than the visibility that Grant and I had when we dove this wreck in July this summer.

Can't wait to see your video.

It really too bad that I never took a video of the car that I found in Melvin Bay. You should see what the scavengers have done to the car in the past 5 years.

I was just thinking the same thing! I've been on this wreck twice, and the visibility was awful each time. I suppose it's probably pretty good right about now.

These are great photos. Thanks for sharing.

Diver1111 · 10-02-2009, 06:07 PM

As I recall it was a Sunday about two weeks ago.

Grant · 10-02-2009, 06:20 PM

Upon further review (sorry for NFL parlance) I realize that the camera in use could've afforded wider angle at closer range, and the viz might've been marginally better. I doubt it gets much better down there -- that's a very busy cove. In fact, Senter Cove Guy and I lost each other moments after descending in July -- and had to resurface/regroup before dropping down right on the wreck. I'd say viz was maybe 10-15 feet, but in low-light conditions. We both carry lights, so it's easy to find the other diver. But still...viz & temps there are both LOW. In fact, I spotted a salmon upon ascent when we were there a few years ago in August. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Grant · 01-15-2010, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nadia

Thanks for posting these photo's Diver1111, keep them coming! I don't dive myself but your findings are truly fascinating. One of the coolest threads I ever came across on the forum was created by a diver who found a car that sunk to the bottom of Winni. I think it was somewhere in a cove near Melvin Villiage. This is really interesting.

I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly, but considering what you posted, are you saying that these are the pieces of what was once a barge? And that this barge is fairly close to the Weirs Beach area? We just bought two new toys (snow machine & camper to put on our land in Ossipee) but now I want to start Scuba Diving! LOL.

Yes, it is most definitely a barge -- mainly intact, and it only looks like "pieces" from the photos. If you view Diver111's video in another post, you can get a better feel for it. It's long.

Regarding the car in Melvin Bay, it was Senter Cove Guy who located it. He'd heard about it as a kid many, many years ago

and did some research before spending a lot of time looking for it. Since the time he located it, a number of "scavenger" divers have really messed it up -- trashing it more in a few years than the elements did since 1937. What a shame.

09-29-2009, 12:09 PM	#1
Diver1111 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Exeter NH Posts: 602 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,032 Times in 227 Posts	Pile Driver barge photos More pictures taken by my dive buddy Lea Nichols and I diving the barge off the Weirs; As I can't label each uploaded photo what we have here are shots of the winch spool(s), steam? piping, parts of the H-frame, shots of the hull etc.. I compressed these for uploading using MS-Office Picture Manager, hence I think they got cropped a bit. Wish they were a bit larger. Attached Images

10-01-2009, 08:01 PM	#3
Diver1111 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Exeter NH Posts: 602 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,032 Times in 227 Posts	Response to Nadia Nadia, Yes this is a wreck set up for pile-driving work to create piers etc., and is a steam-powered, industrial barge approx. 90 feet long; It is on the chart NW of the Weirs channel. The pile-driving apparatus on the bow has fallen forward into the lake bed on a NW bearing of about 300 magnetic; It is about 30 feet long and stood vertically on the bow; I have attached another photo of the pile-driver barge "Dago" with a similar rig on her bow to help you visualize this. The story of the Dago is for another day-I believe the Dago is not this wreck, but will try and prove or dis-prove this notion as soon as I can. While I have posted in the past "so-so" side-scan-sonar images of this barge, seeing photos in living color is a great way to understand what is down there; Note that water-logged wood is a tough side-scan target to capture, but it of course can be done with mixed results. If she was steel it would produce a much better SSS image. If folks liked these pictures note that I am trying now to post a 1GB, 5 minute long, video clip of this same dive-have some technical issues to address first; As it's such a big file it will appear via a link to Google Video or some other such site that can host such a big file-neat stuff-I really liked it when I saw how it came out. Understand also that the visibility is nothing to write home about down there so there is no way to view, say, the entire wreck in one shot (video or picture). All we can do is take images of sections and leave the rest up to your imagination. Side-scan-sonar does help in this respect, though-it's the only way to see the big picture under these circumstances. Hope this answers your question. Attached Images

10-02-2009, 10:30 AM	#4
Senter Cove Guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 596 Thanks: 288 Thanked 429 Times in 140 Posts	Pictures - Dive Date? What date were the underwater pictures taken? The clearness in the pictures shows an underwater visibility far, far better than the visibility that Grant and I had when we dove this wreck in July this summer. Can't wait to see your video. It really too bad that I never took a video of the car that I found in Melvin Bay. You should see what the scavengers have done to the car in the past 5 years. __________________ Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.

10-02-2009, 06:07 PM	#6
Diver1111 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Exeter NH Posts: 602 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,032 Times in 227 Posts	Date of photos As I recall it was a Sunday about two weeks ago.

10-02-2009, 06:20 PM	#7
Grant Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Pennsyltuckey, Tuftonboro, Moultonborough Posts: 1,497 Thanks: 368 Thanked 225 Times in 121 Posts	Upon further review (sorry for NFL parlance) I realize that the camera in use could've afforded wider angle at closer range, and the viz might've been marginally better. I doubt it gets much better down there -- that's a very busy cove. In fact, Senter Cove Guy and I lost each other moments after descending in July -- and had to resurface/regroup before dropping down right on the wreck. I'd say viz was maybe 10-15 feet, but in low-light conditions. We both carry lights, so it's easy to find the other diver. But still...viz & temps there are both LOW. In fact, I spotted a salmon upon ascent when we were there a few years ago in August. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. __________________ "When I die, please don't let my wife sell my dive gear for what I told her I paid for it."

The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Diver1111 For This Useful Post:
Gatto Nero (10-02-2009), Jonas Pilot (09-29-2009), Orion (10-02-2009), Rattlesnake Gal (09-30-2009), Senter Cove Guy (09-30-2009), Tallyho (09-30-2009), Thurston (09-30-2009), welchislandman (09-30-2009), White Rook (10-02-2009)