James Moran was a shipbuilder from St. Martins in the Colony, later Canadian Province, of New Brunswick who pioneered

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

in the Bay of Fundy. Moran was one of the two leading families in the shipbuilding era of St. Martins from 1803 to 1919. During this period a number of different families built ships of all sizes along the beaches of St. Martins, building about 517 ships. He was the son of Matthias (Matthew) Moran. In order for a shipbuilding family to function the support of a wife was needed. James married Mary Hamilton; they had two sons, Robert and James H. Robert went on to be a

master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location o ...

, while James H. became a junior shipbuilder and later worked alongside his father, eventually taking over the business. In 1805 James, at the age of 24, built and launched his first small ship, a 59-ton schooner named ''Thistle''. The ship that Moran is best known for is ''Waterloo'', a 392-ton

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

built in 1815. the first three-masted

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...

ship built in the Bay of Fundy. James built ships and operated a shipyard for over four decades. During his life he built at least 20 ships, the first ones being of smaller tonnage. Between 1840 and the late 1850s James was one of the leading shipbuilders in the Fundy area. In 1856 his son James H. took over the shipyard, which later expanded to

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

. The Morans had one of Atlantic Canada's largest fleets during the 1870s. By 1874 about 88 ships had been built, mostly over 1,000 tons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, James People from Saint John County, New Brunswick Canadian shipbuilders Colony of New Brunswick people