NRIS: 100012596 Boundary Expansion; 03000668 Additional Documentation

The shipwreck was originally identified as the Christina Nilsson and was corrected in this Additional Documentation and Boundary Expansion. The Joseph Cochrane was launched 6 May 1856. The schooner was built by Master shipbuilder Hosea Rogers at his yard in Charlotte, New York. Rogers was a well-known and skilled shipbuilder on the Genesee River. He was active in shipbuilding from 1840-1874. The Joseph Cochrane was carrying lumber from Cheboygan, Michigan when it sprang a leak during a gale on the night of 29 October 1870. The crew operated the pumps throughout the night, and in their attempt to seek shelter within Baileys Harbor on the morning of 30 October 1870 missed the navigation channel and became grounded on a reef on the east side of the harbor. Efforts were made for the next three days to save the vessel, however winds continued to batter the ship on the reef causing it to break up. and it was ultimately abandoned.

Surveys of the Joseph Cochrane were conducted in 1997, 1998, 2003, and 2022 by maritime archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society and through Wisconsin Public Lands Archaeology Permits (PLP) in 2004, 2007-2019 and 2022 by an avocational archaeology team from the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (PLP).

The wreck was evaluated under the context of sailing vessels, as documented in the multiple property documentation Great Lakes Shipwrecks of Wisconsin and listed for its role in the Great Lakes grain, lumber, and other bulk cargo trades. The cargos and service history of the Joseph Cochrane convey significance in these areas. The property was also listed for its potential to yield archaeological information about early wooden sailing ship construction and use in the Great Lakes grain, lumber, and other bulk cargo trades.

State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin’s historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks website.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks