On October 18, 2001, a team of divers from SCRET visited a mystery motor vessel sitting on the bottom of Lake Washington in 200 FFW. Based on the unique stern and the dual screws and rudders, we now believe this vessel is the remains of the motor vessel Healy, a converted YMS-type wooden minesweeper.

Mystery Motor Vessel

On October 18, 2001, a team of divers from SCRET visited a mystery motor vessel sitting on the bottom of Lake Washington in 200 FFW. The shipwreck was located by Underwater Atmospheric Systems, Inc. (Bob Mester) using sidescan sonor. The sidescan image appears below:

This wooden shipwreck sits upright on the bottom. It is 136 feet long, with a beam of approximately 25 feet. The wooden hull is well preserved in the fresh water. The stern area is intact and contains fuel tanks and dual screws and rudders. The engine room and forward sections of the ship are badly burned. Fire was presumably the cause of the loss of this vessel. The name of the ship is not visible on the stern or other exterior parts of the hull.

Based on the unique stern and the dual screws and rudders, we now believe this vessel is the remains of the motor vessel Healy, which was completely destroyed by fire while moored at Houghton in June 1952. The Healy was a converted YMS-type wooden minesweeper owned by Factors, Ltd., of  Seattle.

The general features of the YMS minesweeper included:

• Displacement: 270 tons
• Length: 136 feet
• Beam: 24 feet, 6 inches
• Draft: 6 feet, 1 inch
• Speed: 13 kts
• Diesel engines, twin screws, 500 horse power each

Healy Today

This wooden shipwreck sits upright on the bottom. It is 136 feet long, with a beam of approximately 25 feet. The wooden hull is well preserved in the fresh water. The stern area is intact and contains fuel tanks and dual screws and rudders. The engine room and forward sections of the ship are badly burned. Fire was presumably the cause of the loss of this vessel. The name of the ship is not visible on the stern or other exterior parts of the hull.

Underwater images from 10/18/2001 dive:

Underwater images from 10/28/2001 dive: