Launched in 1907 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the steel-hulled Lizzie D began life as a coastal tug.  Her job description changed to "rum running" when the National Prohibition Act passed in 1919.  Demand for alcohol soared, and many vessels were pressed into smuggling service.

Rum running was a popular method of importing illegal whiskey.  These vessels would steam offshore, take a load of liquor from a larger ship, and return to sell the cargo at a large profit to Rum Row operators.  The 84-foot Lizzie D sank during one of these excursions in the fall of 1922.  The cause of the tragedy was never determined.