The Dorr was a 265 foot vessel traveling down the St. Clair River with a cargo of coal bound for Detroit in 1927 when its boiler overheated and exploded, engulfing the stern in flames. The captain's attempt to fight the fire failed, and most of the crew were ordered to abandon the vessel. A skeleton crew of 5 men then made a last effort to save it by dropping the port anchor so the vessel would swing against the Canadian shore. After several hours of trying to extinguish the fire, the order was given to abandon ship. The cargo burned for several days, and the vessel eventually broached too, rolled over, and sank in approximately 40 feet of water. Early in 1947, an attempt was made to salvage the remains to clear the freighter channel, and the anchor was recovered then.