BAILEYS HARBOR (NBC 26) — A schooner that sank more than 150 years ago in Lake Michigan off of Baileys Harbor has been re-listed on the State Register of Historic Places.
The Wisconsin Historical Society says the Joseph Cochrane shipwreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 under the name of Christina Nilsson. However, after researchers obtained new information from resources unavailable at the time, the wreck is of the Joseph Cochrane. The Christina Nilsson shipwreck had been found nearby.
The Joseph Cochrane shipwreck is submerged in Lake Michigan more than 500 feet southwest of the Baileys Harbor Lighthouse.
The vessel first launched in 1856 to transport bulk cargo and general merchandise within its hull, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. The group says the schooner was carrying lumber when it sprang a leak during the night on Oct. 29, 1870, off Baileys Harbor. Despite efforts from the crew, the ship became grounded on a reef, and was abandoned three days later.
The Wisconsin Historical Society says divers cannot remove artifacts or the vessel's structure when visiting the wreck site, as state and federal laws protect the shipwreck.
