Walsh R. Lucian (interstate No. 2, Dauntless No. 9, Walter B. Saunders – Other Tug Shipwreck (1955)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Walsh R. Lucian
• Type: Steel-hulled steam tug (towboat)
• Year Built: 1905
• Builder: American Ship Building Co., Cleveland, OH
• Dimensions: 85 ft (25.9 m); 21 ft; 12 ft
• Registered Tonnage: 103 gross / 45 net tons
• Depth at Wreck Site: 3.7 m / 12 ft
• Location: Not precisely recorded; presumed hulk or laid up and scrapped post-1955
• Official Number: 202072
• Original Owners: Kelley Island & Transportation Company, U.S. Shipping Board, National Tow Boat Company, New England Oil Refining Co., Lake Tankers Corp., Hartford River Transportation Lines, Neptune Transportation Line, Chris Nielson, Dauntless Towing Line, Mobile Towing & Wrecking Co.

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

A steel single-deck tugboat designed for towing coal, oil barges, and later support of gas tanker-barges on the Great Lakes and East Coast.

Description

• Hull: Steel construction, single deck
• Dimensions: 25.9 m (85 ft) length × 6.4 m (21 ft) beam × 3.7 m (12 ft) depth
• Tonnage: 103 gross / 45 net tons
• Propulsion: Steam engine (details vary, but typical of early 20th-century tugs)

History

• 1905: Launched for Kelley Island & Transportation Company (Sandusky, OH) as W. B. Sanders
• 1917: Transferred to U.S. Shipping Board, likely for WWI support
• 1919: Sold to National Tow Boat Company (Fall River, MA); remeasured at 131 GT / 89 NT
• 1926: Owned by New England Oil Refining Co. (Fall River); played a key role in tug-barge logistics
• 1929: Purchased by Lake Tankers Corp., Fall River
• 1932: Sold to Hartford River Transportation Lines, New York
• 1939: Went to Neptune Transportation Line, New York
• 1942–1946: Operated by Chris Nielson (NY) and Dauntless Towing Line (NY), later by Mobile Towing & Wrecking Co. (Mobile, AL) as Walsh R. Lucian
• 1955: Abandoned; decommissioned and likely scrapped

Significant Incidents

No records of sinking, fire, or being wrecked. The vessel was officially abandoned in 1955.

Final Disposition

The vessel was officially abandoned in 1955. There is no record of sinking, fire, or being wrecked. She was most likely laid up and eventually scrapped or repurposed.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Not applicable—no wreck or sink site. The hulk’s ultimate fate remains undocumented.

Resources & Links

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This vessel demonstrates the longevity possible for steel towboats. Built in 1905, she transitioned through multiple owners and names over five decades, serving wartime logistics and peacetime commercial towing until being retired and abandoned in 1955. No remains are known to survive.