Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: W. K. Muir
- Type: Tugboat / Towboat
- Year Built: 1862
- Builder: Badger State Shipyard, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Dimensions: 69.3 ft (21.1 m); 12.3 ft; 6 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 66 tons (old style)
- Depth at Wreck Site: 1.5 m / 5 ft
- Location: Kinnickinnic Marsh, Milwaukee Harbor
- Official Number: 26367
- Original Owners: Larkin & Greenleaf, Larkin & Porter, Porter Brothers, Starke & Company
- Number of Masts: Single-screw
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
- Single-screw wooden tugboat / towboat
Description
- Hull: Wooden, single deck
- Dimensions: 69.3 ft length × 12.3 ft beam × 6 ft depth
- Tonnage: 66 tons (old style)
- Propulsion: One screw propeller driven by a single-forged, two-cylinder fore-and-aft compound steam engine fueled by one boiler
History
- Builder: Leonard H. Boole
- Launched: 24 April 1862
- Enrollment: Milwaukee, 1862
- Ownership Chronology:
- 1864: Larkin & Greenleaf (Milwaukee)
- 1866: Larkin & Porter (Milwaukee)
- 1867: Porter Brothers (Milwaukee)
- 1875: Starke & Company (Milwaukee)
Significant Incidents
- April 1867 fire: Major damage at Port Huron, with six crew lost; rebuilt post-fire (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
- Tow role: Assisted in patrol/towing duties—e.g., helped locate the tug Albatross amid fog on Lake Michigan (Chicagology)
Final Disposition
- July 1881: Dismantled; engine and boiler removed for use in steam barge C. H. Starke
- October 1881: Stripped, taken to Kinnickinnic Marsh, and deliberately scuttled—intentionally sunk after salvage (Wikipedia)
Current Condition & Accessibility
- Located in shallow waters of Kinnickinnic Marsh near the south end of Milwaukee Harbor
- Wreck likely dispersed and buried under marsh sediment; no recorded rediscovery or archaeological survey
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”w-k-muir-us-26367″ title=”References & Links”]
The W. K. Muir represents a typical mid-19th-century wooden steam tug: small, wooden-built, single-decked, with modest compound engine power. Rebuilt multiple times—and adapting parts into newer vessels—its lifecycle illustrates the industrial recycling practices common in Great Lakes maritime operations. Her final scuttling in a marsh reflects common disposal methods for obsolete vessels.
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