Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: William Penn
- Type: Steamer
- Year Built: 1826
- Builder: Erie, Pennsylvania
- Dimensions: Length 95 ft (28.96 m); Beam 25 ft (7.62 m); Depth of hold 8 ft (2.44 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 214 tons
- Depth at Wreck Site: 2.44 m / 8 ft
- Location: Near Erie, PA, Lake Erie
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
- Type: Steamer
- Role: Passenger and freight service; also military charter
- Construction: Wooden hull
- Powerplant: Sidewheel, Crosshead engine
- Propulsion: 38″ cylinder condensing steam engine; 120 hp; 20-foot paddlewheels
Description
The William Penn was an early Lake Erie sidewheel steamer with wooden construction. She was powered by a single-cylinder crosshead condensing steam engine driving 20′ diameter paddlewheels. Her engine design and construction made her relatively powerful for her time.
- Length: 28.96 m (95 ft)
- Beam: 7.62 m (25 ft)
- Depth: 2.44 m (8 ft)
- Tonnage (old style): 214 tons
History
- 1826, May 11: Enrolled at Presque Isle (Erie), Pennsylvania.
- 1826, May 18: Launched. Began service between Erie and Buffalo, NY.
- 1827–1829: Multiple mechanical failures including broken flywheel flanges; operated along Buffalo–Green Bay route.
- 1829, Oct: Rescued 11 people from the schooner DAUNTLESS, sunk below Erie.
- 1830, May 22: Collided with steamer PIONEER on Lake Erie; two lives lost.
- 1832: Chartered by U.S. War Department for troop and munitions transport to Chicago during tensions with Indigenous groups.
- 1836, May 26: Went ashore and was broken up during fog and a gale.
- 1837: Fully dismantled due to irreparable storm damage.
Final Disposition
After suffering severe damage in a fog and gale in May 1836, the William Penn was hauled ashore and dismantled in 1837. There is no indication that any substantial wreck remains survived.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Status: No wreck located. Presumed Site: Near Erie, Pennsylvania shoreline.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”william-penn-1826″ title=”References & Links”]
The William Penn represents one of the earliest commercial steamers to operate consistently on Lake Erie. Her role extended beyond commerce to emergency rescue and federal military use, emphasizing her importance in the 1820s–30s Great Lakes transport network. Though her service ended relatively early, her legacy remains in the development of early steamboat routes and mechanical innovation on the Great Lakes.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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