The S. L. Dowell is a 45-foot wooden tugboat that was built at Friday Harbor in 1899 as the steamer Griffin. In 1912, the tug was fitted with a 50-horsepower Corliss gas engine. The S. L. Dowell struck a snag off Mercer Island in Lake Washington on October 11, 1922 and sank immediately in 200 feet of water. George Wahl, master, and William Holslar, engineer, leaped to a gravel scow the tug was towing and narrowly escaped drowning.

S.L. Dowell Today

• Vessel type: Tug
• Length: 45 feet
• Beam: approx. 12 feet

The wooden tugboat is presently sitting upright on the bottom and is fully intact except for the steering wheel and compass in the wheelhouse and the propeller, which have been removed by salvers.

The name “S. L. Dowell” is still visible on the stern and on a board on the wheelhouse. The Corliss engine is visible through windows and a hatchway. The wheelhouse is accessible through doorways on each side. Light bulbs are still in place in their sockets.