The tug (towboat) Mayflower was built in 1864 in Marine City, Michigan. Constructed with a wooden hull, it had one deck and measured 108 feet in length, 22 feet in beam, and had a depth of 8 feet and 8 inches. The vessel had a tonnage of 190 23/95, according to the old measurement system.
The Mayflower was powered by a low-pressure screw propulsion system, featuring a single cylinder engine measuring 24 by 36 inches. It had one boiler, measuring 8 by 18 1/2 feet and using a tubular design.
Originally owned by M.B. Kean and Edward Kean from Detroit and Cottrellville, Michigan, the Mayflower operated as a tug. On July 25, 1864, it was enrolled in Detroit. In 1865, the vessel was re-measured in Detroit and recorded dimensions of 113 by 21.3 by 10.7 feet, with a gross tonnage of 167.67.
Throughout its history, the Mayflower underwent various ownership changes. In June 1869, it was owned by P.E. Kean from Marine City and N.A. Kean from Detroit. On August 5, 1875, ownership transferred to P.E. Kean and L.P. Kean, both from Marine City, after undergoing repairs that increased its gross tonnage to 151.06.
The Mayflower faced some incidents during its service. In August 1871, it experienced machinery failure off White Rock in Lake Huron. It was later sunk on August 7, 1878, in Monroe, Lake Erie, along with staves and cordwood. However, the vessel was successfully raised.
Unfortunately, the Mayflower met its final fate on September 11, 1881, when it was wrecked on Colchester Reef in Lake Erie. It ran aground during a gale and became a total loss. The machinery of the vessel was salvaged in 1882, and on June 30, 1882, its documents were surrendered in Detroit.
