The Wyoming was an extraordinary American wooden schooner constructed in 1909 by the Percy & Small Shipyard in Bath, Maine. Notably, it was the largest known wooden ship ever built, measuring an overall length of 450 feet (140 meters) from jib-boom tip to spanker boom tip. The vessel’s length on deck was approximately 350 feet (110 meters), with a beam of 50 feet 1 inch (15.27 meters) and a draft of 30 feet 5 inches (9.27 meters). Its construction utilized yellow pine with 6-inch planking, reinforced by 90 diagonal iron cross-bracings on each side, emphasizing its robust yet flexible wooden frame. Wyoming’s design was conceived by Bant Hanson with Miles M. Merry as the master builder, intended primarily for the Atlantic coastal trade carrying coal. The schooner had a gross register tonnage (GRT) of 3,730, indicating an internal volume of approximately 373,000 cubic feet, and a net register tonnage (NRT) of 3,036, reflecting its cargo capacity of about 303,600 cubic feet. It could carry a deadweight of 6,004 long tons, including cargo, fuel, and crew supplies, with the ability to transport up to 6,000 long tons of coal. Equipped with a Hyde anchor windlass and a donkey steam engine, Wyoming could operate sails with a smaller crew of only 11 men, as the steam engine was used for auxiliary tasks such as raising sails and hauling lines, not for propulsion. The vessel’s construction cost was approximately $175,000 in 1909, equivalent to nearly $5.85 million today, and it was named after the landlocked state of Wyoming, partly due to the involvement of Wyoming Governor Bryant Butler Brooks as an investor. Despite its impressive size and engineering, Wyoming was prone to flexing and buckling in heavy seas due to its length and wooden construction, which sometimes allowed seawater to intrude into the hold, requiring the use of pumps to manage water ingress. Its service ended tragically when, in March 1924, Wyoming foundered in heavy seas near Cape Cod, sinking with the loss of all hands. Wyoming remains a significant vessel in maritime history as the largest wooden schooner ever built, exemplifying the scale and ambition of early 20th-century American coastal trading ships.

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