The Forward Underwater Classroom
The motor launch Forward was constructed about 1906. It is
reported to have been one of the earliest gasoline-powered vessels on Lake
George. The Forward was owned by the estate of William Bixby of
Mohican Point, Bolton Landing. William Bixby's son, Harold, was a chief
backer of Charles A. Lindbergh's solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.
Reportedly Harold Bixby named Lindbergh's plane-- The Spirit of St.
Louis.
Vessels like the Forward were ideally suited for inland
waterways. The boat's primary purpose was to transport passengers on
pleasure excursions around the lake.
In its later years, the Forward was reportedly used by Alden
Shaw and Leonard Irish, two local excursion boat entrepreneurs, as a
commercial tour boat. Anectodal evidence indicates the Forward was
sunk in the 1930s east of Diamond Island. The circumstances and reason for
its sinking are not known.
Built of wood, the Forward is 45 feet long, just under 8 feet
wide and just over 4 feet high. The open cockpit was often covered with a
canopy when the vessel was in use. Two gasoline engines are visible
amidships. The Forward lies upright on a very soft sediment slope
with her bow in deeper water.
Little additional information is available concerning the history and
significance of the Forward. The vessel, however, provides us with a
glimpse of an earlier, perhaps more grandoise, time in the history of Lake
George.
In 1997-1998, this preserve underwent a transformation into the
Forward Underwater Classroom. With grant support from The Fund for Lake
George, a triangular-shaped trail system was created for divers to visit
several stations. The classroom includes vegetation and geology signage; a
zebra mussel monitoring station; a fish observation zone; a simulated
underwater archaeology site; a sunken wooden cruiser; a Secchi disk for divers to measure water
transparency; a navigation course and thermometers; and slates, and pencils to
record water temperature patterns.
Location: The site is loactated approximately 1500 feet east of
Diamond Island in the South Basin of the lake.
Depth of water- 25-45 feet
Experience Level- INTERMEDIATE
