Captain William J. Dwyer

Captain William J. Dwyer was born in Cleveland, Ohio, November 1, 1859, son of Capt. J.W. and Elizabeth Dwyer, the former of whom will be remembered by older lake masters. He attended the public schools until he reached the age of fourteen, when he went with his uncle, Capt. Samuel Dwyer (or "Sam Patch," as he was designated), on the tug Old Jack, as fireman. In 1874 he passed the season as fireman on the tug L. Starkweather. He sailed with his father as boy one season on the schooner William Grandy, and during the next three years was with him on the Lucerne, afterward sailing on several tugs in the Smith line in various capacities until the spring of 1879, when he received his master's papers. He was retained in his first command, the tug Ida Sims, for two seasons, and in 1881 was appointed master of the tug Fanny Tuttle, remaining on her three seasons, when he was transferred to the tug Peter Smith, resigning her to bring out new the tug S.S. Stone, which he sailed until the fall of 1887. The following season he shipped as master of the tug James Amadeus, which he sailed until July, 1892. He then went to Chicago, where he was appointed master of the tug Rob Dunham, transferring to the Chicago after two months, after laying the latter tug up at the close of the season. In 1893 he returned to Cleveland and assumed command of the tug John Gregory, holding that berth two seasons. In 1895 he stopped ashore and embarked in business at the corner of Front and River streets, continuing thus until September, 1896, when he went to Ashtabula harbor and sailed the tug Sunol for the Ashtabula Tug Company, until the close of navigation.

In 1883 Captain Dwyer was united in marriage to Miss Helen Regan, and six children have been born to them, four of whom are living, namely: Herbert, Annie, Nellie, and Hyacinth; Willie and Gordon died while young. The family residence is at No. 99 Carroll street, Cleveland, Ohio.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.