John V. Moran Shipwreck Found Still Intact In Lake Michigan After 116 Years

The John V. Moran shipwreck has been found, still intact at the bottom of Lake Michigan, 116 years after it sank.

Explorers discovered the 214-foot steamship, named the Moran and constructed in 1888, off the coast of Muskegon.

Jeff Voss and fellow shipwreck enthusiasts Jack van Heest and David Trotter had been combing the waters in a 10-mile radius, anxiously searching for the steamship that was last seen more than a century ago on February 12, 1899.

It was around 3:30 a.m., with Voss growing more tired by the minute, that the sonar picked up the massive ship beneath the water.

“All of a sudden — boom. There it was,” Jeff Voss said, according to MLive. “The bottom out there is flat, and then this big image shows up on the printout.”

Voss immediately yelled for Heest and Trotter, who had been sleeping at the time, to come check out his discovery. He then documented the GPS coordinates of the wreckage.

“Yep,” he said. “That’s it for sure.”

While Voss was absolutely sure he had found the phantom at the bottom of the lake, the rest of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association wanted to make certain that was it before announcing the discovery to the world. Diving down to the wreckage would be the only way to be positive that they had stumbled upon the Moran, which lies 365 feet below the surface of the water.

Valerie van Heest and Craig Rich, the MSRA co-directors, said that the scuba divers should wait until warmer weather in August or September. However, the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit, which owns a remotely operated submersible, agreed to join in the dive that took place on July 8.

“The John V. Moran has been on our hit list for quite a while,” Craig Rich said, according to the Detroit Free Press. “We’ve quietly been researching it, and decided this year we’d go out after it.”

“We’ve covered a lot of territory in the shallower water, which is why we’re out searching so deep these days,” added van Heest. “Each year we define a goal and a ship we’d like to find.”

The John V. Moran shipwreck is considered one of the best-preserved wrecks to be found in the Great Lakes. The ship was sitting completely upright, and the only thing missing was the smokestacks.

“Not a railing is missing,” said Rich. “The mast is standing. The lights are standing. The anchors are in position. There’s even glass still in the windows. The only thing missing from this wreck is the smokestack.”

“What’s so amazing is when you spend years studying something, and looking at historic photos, then to see it in the flesh, so to speak, is a moment of revelation,” said van Heest.

“Only six historic photos of the John V. Moran exist,” van Heest added. “We know where it is now, and with this time capsule in hand, there is so much more that we can learn from its exploration.”

What do you think about the John V. Moran shipwreck being discovered after 116 years? Leave your comments below.

[Photo via YouTube screenshot]