Joseph Cochrane (1856)
Gallery
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The keelson assemblage, ceiling planking, and framing
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The bow of the vessel
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The framing
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Site plan of the Joseph Cochrane
By The Numbers
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Built
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Sank
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Lives Lost
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Depth (ft)
 
 
Service History

The wooden three masted schooner Joseph Cochrane was built in 1856 by Rogers & Dickson at Charlotte, New York. Most sources refer to her as a schooner, although a couple mention her as a barkentine. In 1861 the vessel was valued at $9,000 and rated A2. At the time of her loss the vessel was rated B1 and may have been worth $10,000. The official registry number was 12755.

1859: Reportedly went to the Atlantic Ocean.

June 1862: Collided with the schooner L.B. Crocker on the St. Clair River.

November 1863: Collided with the schooner J. Fretter on the Detroit River.

1865: Readmeasured.

June 1869: Sunk in the Welland Canal and raised.

Last Document Of Enrollment Surrendered: Chicago: 6/30/1871: "Vessel Lost".
Final Voyage

October 22, 1870. The schooner Joseph Cochrane, laden with 236,000 feet of lumber bound from Cheboygan, Michigan for Chicago, sprung a leak during a gale. The following morning it attempted to put into Bailey's Harbor, but the Joseph Cochrane missed the channel and stranded upon the reef. The captain and crew were stranded over night until the brig H.E. Mussey managed to rescue them. Within two days the schooner went to pieces, spilling the load of lumber, of which, 100,000 feet were later salvaged by the schooner Market Drayton.
Today

The remains of the Joseph Cochrane lie 563 feet south-southwest from the Old Baileys Harbor Bird Cage Lighthouse, Door County, in the waters of Baileys Harbor. Surveys of the Joseph Cochrane were conducted in 1997, 1998, 2003, and 2021 by maritime archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association. The wreck was previously identified as the Christina Nilsson. However, given the wreck dimensions, location, and a comparison of vessel losses in the vicinity based on historic newspaper accounts, the vessel remains at this site were determined to belong to the schooner Joseph Cochrane. The Christina Nilsson was lost between two reefs on the north side of Baileys Harbor, exposed only to south-southeast seas. Given this description, the Christina Nilsson is within the cove behind the Old Baileys Harbor Bird Cage Lighthouse. Joseph Cochrane was also lost on the North Reef, however, did not include the protection from all but southeast gales.

The vessel rests in 11 to 15 feet of water with the stern towards shore. From the turn of the bilge down, its lower hull remains intact on an even keel; its remains are well preserved, although flat in nature. Though much of its upper deck works, rigging, and anchors washed ashore or were salvaged shortly after its grounding, major structural components of the vessel remain extant. As the site lies in a dynamic area, few invasive quagga mussels have colonized the interior of the bilge, allowing for detailed observations. The vessel's framing remains and there is one remaining windlass stanchion present on the site, located in the badly-damaged bow section. Although the rigging was salvaged, evidence of two of the three masts are present. A disarticulated piece of the wreckage was found off the broken hull section.
 
Map
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