John A. McGean was built in 1908 by the American Shipbuilding Company at their shipyard in Lorain, Ohio.

[1] On November 7 or 9, 1913, John A. McGean was sailing into the Great Storm when she was sighted for the final time off Tawas Point Light.

[1] Her wreckage was not found until 1985, when it was discovered near Port Hope, Michigan with damage indicating that she had been swamped by a large wave.

[1] Portions of the wreckage were found by a local doctor along the shoreline at Bayfield, Ontario in mid-November 1913.

Betts' remains were identified at the morgue in Goderich, Ontario via a photograph and details furnished by the Lake Carriers' Association.