The small wooden fish tug A.S. Piper was built by Thomas Spear of Milwaukee in 1880. It went into commission on May 5, 1881, and was shortly thereafter carrying cargo such as lumber and bricks throughout Lake Michigan. The Piper was owned by George O. Spear in 1884, but it would be sold multiple times between 1884 and 1889. Captain John Walker purchased the A.S. Piper on June 1, 1889, and would be the tug's last owner. He valued the craft at $3,000, after having refused an offer of $2,700 the previous spring.
The tug A.S. Piper caught fire at port on the evening of October 14, 1890. The craft was docked at Reynold's dock in the upper mill wharf of Sturgeon Bay. The crew, having gone ashore earlier, returned to find the Piper engulfed in flames. The nearby tug Mosher promptly pulled the burning vessel away from the wharf. The A.S. Piper subsequently drifted ashore and became a total loss. An article in the February 2, 1891 issue of the Door County Advocate states, "The fire doubtless originated around the boiler and as the hold was full of slabs, nothing could be done to subdue the flames when help arrived."

In the months following the wreck, the owners of the A.S. Piper attempted to remove the boiler and engine from the craft, eventually succeeding in removing the boiler.
As of April 1904, the A.S. Piper can be found sunken at the head of Sturgeon Bay near the channel.