She originally operated for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority as Flying Cloud.
She was built by Derecktor Shipyards at a cost of $8 million[1] and entered service in 2000.
[2] Almost immediately after delivery, she began to experience engine failures, which plagued her for most of her Steamship Authority service.
[1] She received new engines before her final year in operation for the Authority in 2006, by which point she had missed over 800 scheduled trips.
[4] Gran Cacique IV is 134.5 feet (41.0 m) long, with a service speed of 36 knots (41 mph), and has a passenger capacity of 300.