The propeller ANNA DOBBINS was launched on September 17, 1862, at the shipyard of Messrs. Mills & Welch. It was built for Thomas D. Dole and named after the daughter of Captain D.P. Dobbins. The steamer was 110 1/2 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 10 feet deep, measuring 175 tons. It had a singly direct-acting engine with a cylinder size of 24 by 26 inches from the Vulcan Works. The propeller wheel was of the real Philadelphia pattern from the Natie & Levy Works in Philadelphia. Captain John Rice was chosen to command the vessel, and it was intended for towing operations on the lakes and rivers.
Later on, on September 27, 1886, the tug ANNA DOBBINS sank in ten fathoms of water, 8 miles northeast of the Charities, while traveling from Cleveland to Bay City with a tow. The crew was fortunately saved, and the cause of the sinking was attributed to a failure in her stern pipe.
However, there seems to be some confusion regarding the name, as there is no record of an ANNA P. DOBBINS. The vessel mentioned in the latter part of the information might be the same ANNA DOBBINS that sank in 1886 and was later raised and repaired for service in Bay City.
