The SS John V. Moran was a wooden-hulled American package freighter constructed in 1888 by F.W. Wheeler & Company in West Bay City, Michigan. Measuring 214 feet in length, with a beam of 37 feet and a depth of 22.16 feet, she was designed for versatility, capable of carrying both bulk cargo such as iron ore and coal, and package freight like flour. Her hull was reinforced with iron plates to withstand winter conditions on the Great Lakes. She had a gross tonnage of approximately 1,350 tons and a net tonnage of around 1,035 tons. Powering the vessel was a two-cylinder, 500 horsepower fore-and-aft compound steam engine, manufactured by Samuel F. Hodge & Company, paired with a Scotch marine boiler built by Lake Erie Boiler Works. The engine drove a single fixed-pitch propeller, 14.3 inches in diameter with an 11-inch pitch, enabling her to navigate the lakes efficiently. Launched on August 16, 1888, as hull number 44, she was initially operated by Ward's Crescent Transportation Company and part of Detroit's Detroit & Lake Superior Line, with Detroit serving as her first home port. In her early years, she was retrofitted with double hoists for cargo loading. Throughout her service, she primarily ran routes between Buffalo, New York, and Duluth, Minnesota, and later was sold to different companies, including Union Transit Line and Crosby Transportation Company. Her operational history included a notable collision on May 7, 1896, when she ran aground near Sailors' Encampment in the St. Marys River after being rammed amidships by the Maurice B. Grover. She was repaired afterward. Later, in February 1899, while en route from Milwaukee to Muskegon with flour and package goods, she was struck by ice on Lake Michigan. The damage caused her to leak heavily; her crew abandoned her, and she was taken in tow by the steamer Naomi but was ultimately abandoned as she sank on February 12, 1899, with no loss of life. Her wreck was discovered in 2015 at a depth of 365 feet, remarkably intact and upright. The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association identified her as the most well-preserved steamship wreck on Lake Michigan, with her pilothouse, mast, rigging, and other features still in place, offering invaluable insight into late 19th-century Great Lakes maritime history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.