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The steamship Detroit Wayne was steel-hulled freighter built for the United States Shipping Board in 1919. She carried freight across the Atlantic in 1920 and 1921. Afterward, she was likely idled until 1932 when she was converted into a dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She was active in the Mississippi River for several years. In 1940, Detroit Wayne was sold to private interests, renamed Raritan, and converted back into a freighter. She was wrecked off the North Carolina coast in February 1942.

Construction and characteristics
The Atlantic Transport Line commissioned four sisterships to be built by the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They were, in order of launch, Massachusetts, Manitoba, Mohawk, and Mobile.

The ship's hull was built of steel. She was 445.5 ft long, with a beam of 49.2 ft and a depth of hold of 30 ft. Her gross register tonnage was 5672, and her net register tonnage was 3653. Her fully loaded draft was just under 24 ft.

She was driven by two propellers. These were turned by two triple-expansion steam engines which were also built by Harland and Wolff. They had high, medium, and low-pressure cylinders with diameters of 22.5 inches, 36.5 inches, and 60 inches, respectively, with a stroke of 48 inches. Each of the engines was rated at 600 horsepower. Steam was provided by two coal-fired boilers. At full speed, the ship would burn 60 tons of coal a day. Manitoba's coal bunkers could hold 900 tons.

Manitoba's cargo capacity was built primarily to support the shipment of American beef to England, both in the form of live cattle and refrigerated dressed beef. She was fitted out to transport 1,000 live cattle, and could carry 1,000 tons of fresh meat in her refrigerated holds. She was also fitted with a salon and first-class cabins for 80 passengers. There was no accommodation for steerage passengers.

Manitoba was launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard on Queen's Island on 28 January 1892.

Atlantic Transport Line Service (1892–1898)
While the Atlantic Transport Line was controlled by American shipping magnate Bernard N. Baker, its operations were run from Britain. Manitoba's home port was London and she was registered as a British ship. During her entire six-year career with Atlantic Transport Line she was assigned to the New York to London route.

Manitoba proved exceptionally good at moving cattle across the Atlantic. In the first half of 1892, on her first few crossings, she brought 770 cattle to England and only two died en route. Since horses could be shipped using the same facilities as cattle, Manitoba shipped racehorses across the Atlantic, notably for August Belmont and Pierre Lorillard.

Manitoba was a fast cargo ship for her time. She left London on 23 May 1892 and arrived at her dock on the Hudson River in New York on 4 June, making the crossing in 10 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes, the fastest recorded by a cargo ship at the time. She beat her own record in April 1893 crossing from New York to London in 10 days, 9 hours. In June 1896, Manitoba once again beat her own record for freight-carrying steamers reaching New York from London in 9 Days, 23 hours, and 20 minutes. Over the 3,240 nautical miles of her route, she averaged 13.54 knots.

Spanish–American War
On 25 April 1898, Congress declared war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War. An immediate objective was to defeat Spain in the Caribbean, taking Cuba and Puerto Rico. At the time, the United States had no overseas possessions, and thus its military had no ocean-capable sealift to support such an offensive. American political leaders preferred to acquire American ships to support the war effort, rather than enrich foreigners and rely on foreign crews. There were also legal constraints on using neutral-flagged vessels in American military operations. Through some quirks in the Congressional funding of the war, the US Navy was able to acquire transport ships prior to the declaration of war and tied-up the best of the American merchant fleet for its use. When the Army was able to begin acquiring ships after the declaration of war, fewer domestic options remained. While the Atlantic Transport Line was British-flagged, it was American owned, making it a more practical option.

Army Colonel Frank J. Hecker approached the Atlantic Transport Line to charter its fleet, and was refused. He then offered to buy the vessels he sought and a deal was struck, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War Russel Alger. In addition to Manitoba, the Atlantic Transport Line sold Massachusetts, Mohawk, Mobile, Michigan, Mississippi, and Minnewaska. These ships were placed under the Quartermaster's Department of the United States Army. The Army reckoned Manitoba's capacity to be 80 officers, 1,000 men, and 1,000 horses. Manitoba was purchased on 20 July 1898. The price of the ship was $660,000.

The ship underwent little conversion for military use and began embarking troops just two weeks after her purchase. By that time the fighting was all but over. Hostilities ceased on 12 August 1898. Even though the war was over, the Army had substantial logistical challenges. It had to garrison the new possessions, and return the thousands of men temporarily mobilized for the offensive. Manitoba moved thousands of troops and animals to and from Cuba and Puerto Rico in the immediate post-war period.

Post-war (1899–19xx)
Having taken Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, the Army had a permanent need for transport to overseas bases. The annexation of Hawaii in 1898 also required new ocean transport. The Army Transport Service chose the best vessels acquired during the war to become a permanent sealift capability. Manitoba and her three sister ships were retained for this purpose. To mark their transition to permanent military service, they were renamed in March 1899. Manitoba became Logan, named for Civil War General John A. Logan.

Once the Army completed the bulk of the troop movements in the Caribbean at the end of the war, it refit Logan for service in the Pacific. In July 1899 a contract was given to the Morse Iron Works of New York to repair and refit the ship. The contract price for the work was $230,000. When she emerged from the shipyard she had a new steam-powered steering system. As equipped for her Pacific service, she could accommodate 1,650 soldiers sleeping in hammocks suspended from steel posts. Her coal bunkers were enlarged to hold 1,780 tons. She had fourteen fresh water tanks with 1,270 tons capacity. Her refrigerated space of 20,580 cubic feet was kept at 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The ship was also equipped with a vault for gold and silver in order to fund overseas operations. A sea trial for the improved Logan took place on 13 November 1899. On 20 November 1899 Logan sailed from New York bound for Manilla, via the Suez Canal. She had a full load, including 1,312 officers and men of the 41st U.S. Volunteer Infantry regiment.

E. T. Winston
renamed Candler