AH-WR-1069

Governor R. M. McLane

Patrol Steamer · United States · Lost Abandoned and sank at her mooring in 1954, according to a Baltimore Museum of Industry historical marker. · Annapolis & the Upper Chesapeake

Flagship of Maryland's Oyster Navy during the Oyster Wars, later a Navy patrol boat twice over, now rests abandoned in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1884 for Maryland's State Oyster Police Force, Governor R. M. McLane armed enforcement patrols against illegal dredging during the Chesapeake's Oyster Wars. She was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as a patrol craft in both World War I and World War II, cruising the Chesapeake, Patuxent, and Severn Rivers. Retired afterward, she was abandoned at her mooring in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and sank there in 1954, where her hull remains visible today near the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Vessel

Built: 1884
Registry: US official number 85858 (later 234375); Navy ID SP-1328
Builder: Neafie and Levy
Yard: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Material: Iron
Length: 120 ft
Beam: 21 ft
Tonnage: 144.54
Propulsion: Steam engine
Owners: State of Maryland (Oyster Police / Fishery Force); U.S. Navy 1917-1918 and 1942-1945

Loss

Date: Abandoned and sank at her mooring in 1954, according to a Baltimore Museum of Industry historical marker.
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Baltimore Inner Harbor, near present-day Baltimore Museum of Industry
Water: Patapsco River
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Partially submerged hull visible at low tide as of the early 2000s.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Interpreted on-site by a historical marker erected by the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Position

Coordinates: 39.27° N 76.60° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Locust Point, Baltimore
Region: Annapolis & the Upper Chesapeake

Located near the Baltimore Museum of Industry piers, per museum and archaeology-blog descriptions; no formal survey coordinate found.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (68/100)

Precise circumstances of her final abandonment and sinking in 1954 are not established beyond museum and local-history accounts.

Wikipedia: Governor R. M. McLane (steamboat)
Build data, ownership, naval service, and current status.
Baltimore Museum of Industry historical marker, 'Hull of the Gov. R.M. McLane'
Abandonment and 1954 sinking date, dimensions.
Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS), Governor R. M. McLane
Navy commissioning and patrol service details.