Frank O'Connor Maritime Trails Marker
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Frank O'Connor Maritime Trails Marker at Cana Island
 
Details
Attraction
Location
Body of Water: Lake Michigan
Trail Name: Green Bay/Door County
Year Built: 2002
Nearest Address: Cana Island Lighthouse
Nearest City: Baileys Harbor
County: Door
Zip Code: 54202
Latitude: N 45°05.29614'
Longitude: W -087°02.87280'
Attraction
Features
Open to public?: Yes
Mooring buoy?: Yes
Mooring buoy in place?: No
Snorkelable?: No
Dive guide?: Yes
Trails sign?: Yes
National Register?: No
Attraction
Description
The historic marker for the Frank O'Conner is located at the Cana Island Lighthouse, north of Baileys Harbor. The shipwreck of the Frank O'Connor lies 2.6 miles NNE of Cana Island on the Lake Michigan side of Door County. The wreckage of the 300-foot-long vessel sits in 65 feet of water. Two seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society mooring buoys mark the bow and the engine. In 1892, the innovative shipbuilder James Davidson pushed the art of wooden ship construction past the 300-foot mark with the launching of the City of Naples, renamed the Frank O'Connor in 1916. Heavily braced with iron and steel and propelled by a powerful steam engine, the O'Connor logged 27 years of service on the Great Lakes. On Sept. 29, 1919, she departed Buffalo carrying 3,000 tons of coal, bound for Milwaukee. Fire struck on the afternoon of Oct. 2. The captain ran for shore, but roughly an hour later the blaze burned away the steering gear. The crew escaped in lifeboats, leaving the helpless O'Connor to burn well into the night. She finally sank about two miles from Cana Island. Today, the O'Connor's strong lower hull remains intact, displaying the iron and steel scraping, multiple floor keelsons, and heavy ceiling planking that allowed 'Davidson's Goliaths' to reach their great lengths. The bow holds the contents of the chain locker and other gear, while more artifacts surround the museum-quality machinery in the stern.
 
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Nearby
Attractions (7)
Baileys Harbor Lighthouse (Old)
Baileys Harbor Range Lights
Cana Island Lighthouse
Christina Nilsson Buoy
Christina Nilsson Maritime Trails Marker
Frank O'Connor Maritime Trails Marker
Mud Bay Quarry Company (Toft Point)
Shipwrecks (24)
Agnes Willie (1862)
Belle (1848)
Chicago
Christina Nilsson (1871)
E.P. Royce (1873)
Ebenezer (1863)
Emeline (1864)
F.J. King (1867)
Fairfield (1846)
Frank O'Connor (1892)
View 14 more
Shipwrecks (24)
Agnes Willie (1862)
Belle (1848)
Chicago
Christina Nilsson (1871)
E.P. Royce (1873)
Ebenezer (1863)
Emeline (1864)
F.J. King (1867)
Fairfield (1846)
Frank O'Connor (1892)
Free Democrat (1853)
Illinois (1848)
Janette (?)
John C. Fremont (1856)
Joseph Cochrane (1856)
Josephine Lawrence (1854)
Lewis Cass (1846)
M. Capron (1875)
M.J. Bartelme (1895)
Peoria (1854)
South Side (1867)
Two Katies (1873)
Warren (1835)
Windsor (1856)
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