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The Minne-Ha-Ha is a stern-wheel steamboat on Lake George, New York, and is owned and operated by the Lake George Steamboat Company.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Lake George Steamboat Company owned and operated two ships on Lake George: the Ticonderoga II , a retired navy ship from World War II, and the Mohican II , a converted steamer (to diesel) that was built by the company between 1907 and 1908. The Ticonderoga made trips up and down the lake, while the Mohican would make two trips into Paradise Bay. [1] In 1968, the number of tourists to Lake George Village, the primary port of the Lake George Steamboats, increased, and requests for shorter cruises became more frequent. [2] A third boat was needed to meet the needs of people who did not have time for the longer cruises provided by the other two ships. Wilbur Dow, the company's owner at the time, wanted to make the boat itself an attraction and it was quickly decided that it should be powered by steam. [2] A side-wheeler was originally considered to keep with the tradition of the older steamboats on the lake, but the ship, at an estimated 100-foot design, would have appeared to be too wide and short. [1] It was then decided to construct a sternwheeler steamboat which would debut in the summer of 1969.
The ship was designed by H.M. Tiedemann Company of New York City. [3] Construction started on October 2, 1968, at the Steamboat Company's shipyard in Baldwin, located near Ticonderoga, New York, at the lake's northern end. The hull of the new ship was launched on December 6, 1968, and was towed by the Mohican to the Steel Pier in Lake George Village. [1] The remainder of the boat's superstructure was erected there, and completed over the winter months at the cost of $270,000. The new boat was 103 feet long, had a 30-foot beam, and a draft of 3.5 feet. She had a displacement of 200 tons and a top speed of 7 miles per hour. [1] Wilbur Dow's wife, Ruth, struck the champagne bottle against the boat on July 30, 1969, and the ship was christened Minne-Ha-Ha, meaning "laughing waters". [4] She is the second boat by the Lake George Steamboat Company to have this name, sharing it with a side-wheeler that served from 1857 to 1878. [5]
The ship's demand was becoming higher so Bill Dow, Wilbur's son, decided to modify the Minne. [6] Since she did not fit the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning she was not handicapped accessible, along with her difficult navigation because of her low speed, the decision was made to lengthen the vessel. [7] On September 14, 1998, she sailed up to the dry-dock at Baldwin and her hull was replaced with a new, well-designed one. Her midsection was cut into two pieces, and 34 feet of the hull was installed between them. [8] On December 9 of that year, she was launched back into the lake and towed back to the Steel Pier by the Mohican, where her superstructure was completed. Her renovation was completed in late May 1999. She was also given a handicap-accessible elevator to provide access to her second deck. A small propeller powered by a Caterpillar diesel engine was added in front of her paddlewheel as a backup safety measure to assist the ship in the event that it was to lose steam power, as had happened in the past. A propeller was added to assist the much larger Minne in docking and preventing the ship from becoming beached on large rocks next to her dock due to the lake's strong winds. The Minne-Ha-Ha is only powered by her steam paddle wheel during her trip. Her signature twin split stacks were removed and replaced by a 30-foot-tall sleek, single stack, [9] and her three steam whistles were mounted to the new stack. The old stacks are still viewable from their mounting location on the Steel Pier. She retains her steam calliope and plays it after every cruise. A 12 x 20 ft. skylight was added to her top deck. After renovation, the Minne upgraded to a length of 137 feet and a draft of 3 feet 9 inches. She has a top speed of approximately 8 mph. [7]
In 2001, her paddlewheel was rebuilt.
After the 2007 season, her skylight was removed and replaced with an elevated seating area, which provides more seats with an escalated view.
In 2008 the words "Happy Birthday" were played on her calliope to honor the 100th birthday of the Mohican.
In 2013, the Lake George Steamboat Company revived an old tradition of steamers playing their calliopes as they enter Lake George Village returning to port, in addition to playing it after each cruise.
Since August 1, 1969, the Minne makes six-hourly trips each day; daily during the summer months, and on weekends during the spring and fall. [10] Along with this they added moonlight entertainment cruise on Saturday nights.
The Minne has three operating steam whistles mounted on her stack: an 8" Crosby 3-Chime, an 8" x 50" single note "Mockingbird", and a 1912 3-Bell Lunkenheimer steam whistle which was originally on the Iroquois, an Army Corps of Engineers boat on the Ohio River. [9] The "Mockingbird" debuted in 1970 and replaced the boat's original three-chime whistle. The Crosby was added during the 1970s, and the Lunkenheimer was added during the 1998 renovation.
The original calliope was built in 1974 by the Frisbie Engine & Machine Co. The Frisbie calliope was replaced by a smaller model in 1993, before being replaced with a new one built and installed by Dave Morecraft in 2013.
A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS ; however, these designations are most often used for steamships.
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans.
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Belle of Louisville is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most widely traveled river steamboat in American history." Belle of Louisville's offices are aboard Mayor Andrew Broaddus, and also appears on the list of National Historic Landmarks.
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The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point 101 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S. state of Oregon.
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Flyer was an American steamboat that served from 1891 to 1929 on Puget Sound. From 1918 until the end of her service, she was officially known as the Washington. The Flyer ran for millions of miles at high speed, more than any inland vessel in the world. This 1891 steamer Flyer should not be confused with the steamboat Flyer built on Lake Coeur d'Alene in 1905, although the Coeur d'Alene vessel was inspired both in design and name by the success of the Puget Sound ship.
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Lake steamers of North America include large, steam-powered non-government vessels with displacement hulls on American freshwater lakes excluding the Great Lakes. They may have served as passenger boats, freighters, mail-boats, log-boom vessels or a combination thereof. The construction of such vessels posed unique problems on water bodies located away from established dry-docks and marine railways, or connecting canals to such facilities.
The Lake George Steamboat Company was incorporated in 1817 to operate steamboats on Lake George, New York. It is the oldest company in the Lake George region. The company operates steamboats that run the full length of Lake George between Ticonderoga at the north end of the lake and the village of Lake George at the south end of the lake.
SS Midland City was originally a Canadian side-wheel steamboat that provided passenger and cargo transportation on the Great Lakes from 1871 until 1955. Originally named Maud, then America, she underwent several extensive refits over her 84-year service, and saw several owners. The ship was intentionally run aground and burnt to the waterline in 1955 near the mouth of the Wye River in Midland Bay. The wreck is intact and visible above the water to this day, where it acts as a breakwater for the Wye Heritage Marina and local attraction.
The Lac Du Saint Sacrement is considered to be the flagship of the Lake George Steamboat Company in Warren County, New York. It is the largest and newest boat in the company. The boat runs on Caterpillar diesel engines and carries lifejackets for every passenger on board in case of an emergency. It also has rescue boats, an emergency generator, and incombustible furniture throughout the boat. The ship consists of 4 decks, 3 of which are heated and air-conditioned, cocktail lounges, a dance floor, a snack shop, and wheel chair lifts on the first 3 floors. The ship also contains a galley underneath the main deck. The name “Lac Du Saint Sacrement” comes from the original name of Lake George until it was renamed in 1755 after King George II. Lac du Saint Sacrement, the original name of the Lake until the English won the French and Indian War in 1756, was given by Father Isaac Jogues, a French Canadian missionary who found the lake in 1646.
SY Tern, now operating as MY Tern, is a passenger vessel on Windermere, England. Launched in 1891 she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway. She underwent several changes in owner as companies were merged throughout the twentieth century, and spent time as a sea cadet training ship during the Second World War. Refitted several times, her original steam engines have been replaced with diesel engines. Tern is the oldest vessel operating on Windermere, and is a member of the National Historic Fleet. She is currently operated by Windermere Lake Cruises as the flagship of their fleet.
The SS Raven, sometimes also referred to as the SY Raven, is a steam barge ordered by the Furness Railway for use on the lake of Windermere in the English Lake District, where she has spent her entire working life. She is a member of the National Historic Fleet, and is now preserved. She is the second oldest ship on Lloyd’s Register and the oldest with her original machinery.
