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Underwater images of the Falcon »

The Gas Launch Falcon in Lake Washington today:

The Falcon now rests in 190 feet of water in the middle of Lake Washington. Her remains have been well preserved by the dark, cold waters of the lake. We do not know exactly when or why the Falcon sank. Most likely, when she reached the end of her useful life, she was stripped by her owners and intentionally scuttled.

The hull of the Falcon sits upright on the bottom with a slight list to port. The white paint of her former days is mostly gone. The forward deck is empty. The Falcon’s passenger cabin is intact. The exterior walls and window-frames remain, although the glass is missing from the windows. The doors into the passenger cabin are open and allow access inside. The cabin is generally empty. At the stern, there is a ladder from the stern deck to the top of the passenger cabin. The stairs descend to a curved bench seat in the round stern.

Unlike the passenger cabin, the wheelhouse that was located immediately forward of the passenger cabin is missing. In the side scan image on page 2, you can see the empty space where the wheelhouse should be. What remains is only a big opening into the hull. The wheelhouse may have floated off when the vessel sank or it may have been removed before the vessel was scuttled.

In her current state, the Falcon is a well-preserved example of a wooden-hull passenger ship from the turn of the century time period. She has much to teach us about the construction of vessels from this time period, as well as the maritime history and culture of the time.

 

Underwater images:

 

Click any image for a larger file.

Bench seats

Bow

Bow

Bow

Cabin windows

Cleat

Deck drain

Inside hull

Mark ties in

Peo and bottle

Peo exits cabin

Peo peers into hold

Pipes

Rudder

Stern

 

 

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