ONLINE: Underwater Archaeology Converted Steamer Pringle

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The Robert C. Pringle was built in 1903 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company as a packet steamer and named Chequamegon. The Chequamegon carried package freight between Ashland and the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. In 1904, the steamer was moved to Lake Michigan. During the summer months she moved passengers between Milwaukee and Frederick Pabst’s Whitefish Bay Park, a resort for picnics and recreation. During fall months the vessel participated in the Lake Michigan fruit trade. She was sold in 1911 and put back to work as a package freighter for seven years and her name was changed to Pere Marquette 7. The ship was sold in 1918 to the Pringle Barge Line of Cleveland, Ohio, modified to a tug and renamed Robert C. Pringle. On June 19, 1922 while towing the steamer Venezuela, Robert C. Pringle struck a submerged object 12 miles off of Sheboygan. Although the tug sank immediately, the entire crew was picked up by the Venezuela and taken to Manitowoc.

Robert C. Pringle's wreck site was located by Steve Radovan in 2008. The ship sits upright and intact in over 300 ft of water, with many of her navigational instruments visible within her pilothouse. The shipwreck was surveyed my maritime archaeologists and Crossmon Consulting LLC using a remotely operated vehicle in 2019. Discover Robert C. Pringle's history and hear what was learned from the archaeological survey of the site that led to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.