Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks - Explore Shipwrecks - Frank O'Connor
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Depth: 65 Feet    | Condition: The vessel's remains lie scattered on a rocky bottom.

The wreck of the Frank O'Connor lies in 65 feet of water, about 2.6 miles north-northeast of Cana Island ( LORAN : 32078.5, 48115.8; GPS : N 45° 6.866', W 87° 0.726'). The visibility ranges from 25 to 35 feet, and the water temperature varies from about 40° to 60° F during the summer.

sketch of the engine

Scotch boilers

The Frank O'Connor is truly a transitional vessel. Representative of the terminal stages of large wooden bulk carrier construction, the Frank O'Connor is equipped with modern steam engine machinery. The huge museum-quality triple-expansion steam engine and boilers sit on their beds and rise more than twenty feet off the bottom. The engine cylinders measure 20, 33, and 50 inches in diameter. They had a 42-inch stroke and turned the 12-foot diameter propeller, which is still attached, at 85 revolutions per minute. Steam was supplied by two Scotch boilers, 11 feet in diameter and 13 feet in length. The boilers had four furnaces, with 102 square feet of grate and 3,462 square feet of heating surface, which produced 160 pounds per square inch of steam pressure.

 

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