“Not a railing is missing,” said Rich, a master diver and former Holland City Council member. “The mast is standing. The ratlines are standing. The anchors are in position. There’s even glass still in the windows.”
The last time anyone saw the Moran was Sunday, Feb. 12, 1899. Now she sits on the bottom of Lake Michigan
The Crosby Transportation Co. had owned the ship for less than a year. The $50,000 cargo was the largest the Moran had yet carried. The flour on board, 9,550 barrels of it, was of a select brand destined for Amsterdam.
John V. Moran circa 1888
Thankfully for the crew, the Moran had been paced across the lake by her sister steamer Naomi, which heard the distress whistle. The ship pulled alongside about 12:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and took the stricken vessel’s crew aboard in -30 degree weather.