Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Cooper's Floating Battery
- Type: Floating artillery battery
- Year Built: 1813
- Builder: William Cooper
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Offshore Sandy Creek, Mexico Bay, Lake Ontario
- Original Owners: William Cooper, Cooperstown, NY
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Unique early-19th-century floating artillery battery, constructed as an octagonal wood-planked platform vessel capable of mounting 16 guns, though it is documented to have carried only 2 at the time of loss. Intended as a defensive floating fortress during the War of 1812, specifically for protection of strategic Sackets Harbor.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Shape/Form: Octagon-shaped raft-like floating platform
- Function: Defensive structure, similar in purpose to a naval pontoon battery or riverine fortification
- Armament: Designed for 16 cannons; only 2 known to be aboard at time of loss
History
- 1813 (Spring–Summer): Constructed amid rising threats during the War of 1812 to enhance local naval defences on Lake Ontario.
- 6 July 1813: While en route from Oswego to Sackets Harbor, the battery was caught in a severe Lake Ontario storm.
- Sank approximately 5–6 miles offshore near Sandy Creek (Mexico Bay).
- The lightly armed structure broke apart and foundered. No known recoveries.
Final Disposition
Destroyed by storm. Never recovered. No evidence of salvage or reuse. No known loss of life, but historical military shipping records are sparse.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Not located. No confirmed archaeological survey or sonar identification exists of the wreckage. Presumed fully broken up or buried.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”coopers-floating-battery-1813″ title=”References & Links”]
Cooper’s Floating Battery was an early example of defensive maritime engineering, hastily constructed for strategic harbour defence in a wartime emergency. Its loss on Lake Ontario curtailed its brief service during the War of 1812. As an ad hoc floating artillery platform, it represents an innovative but fragile adaptation to wartime threat in the Great Lakes theatre.
Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record
This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Cooper’s Floating Battery
- Year Built: 1813
- Built At: Oswego, New York
- Final Location: Offshore Sandy Creek, Mexico Bay, Lake Ontario
- Date Lost: 6 July 1813
- Cause: Foundered in a storm
- Original Owner: William Cooper, Cooperstown, NY
Vessel Type
Unique early-19th-century floating artillery battery, constructed as an octagonal wood-planked platform vessel capable of mounting 16 guns, though it is documented to have carried only 2 at the time of loss. Intended as a defensive floating fortress during the War of 1812, specifically for protection of strategic Sackets Harbor.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Shape/Form: Octagon-shaped raft-like floating platform
- Function: Defensive structure, similar in purpose to a naval pontoon battery or riverine fortification
- Armament: Designed for 16 cannons; only 2 known to be aboard at time of loss
Construction
- Builder: William Cooper
- Master Carpenter: Richard Cooper (Superintendent)
- Location Built: Oswego, New York
- Purpose: Protect Sackets Harbor and nearby coast from British naval incursion during War of 1812
History
- 1813 (Spring–Summer): Constructed amid rising threats during the War of 1812 to enhance local naval defences on Lake Ontario.
- 6 July 1813: While en route from Oswego to Sackets Harbor, the battery was caught in a severe Lake Ontario storm.
- Sank approximately 5–6 miles offshore near Sandy Creek (Mexico Bay).
- The lightly armed structure broke apart and foundered. No known recoveries.
Final Disposition
Destroyed by storm. Never recovered. No evidence of salvage or reuse. No known loss of life, but historical military shipping records are sparse.
Located By & Date Found
Not located. No confirmed archaeological survey or sonar identification exists of the wreckage. Presumed fully broken up or buried.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted. No hazard listings or contemporary navigation concerns at the presumed site.
Resources & Links
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection
- War of 1812 records (New York Naval Militia and Oswego district correspondence)
Conclusion
Cooper’s Floating Battery was an early example of defensive maritime engineering, hastily constructed for strategic harbour defence in a wartime emergency. Its loss on Lake Ontario curtailed its brief service during the War of 1812. As an ad hoc floating artillery platform, it represents an innovative but fragile adaptation to wartime threat in the Great Lakes theatre.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Floating artillery battery
- War of 1812 naval defence
- Octagonal vessel
- Lake Ontario military history
- Oswego-built vessels
- Maritime fortifications
- Mexico Bay wrecks
- Cooperstown
- Naval militia support craft
- Unlocated wrecks