List of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly

The list of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly is a list of ships which sank on or near the Isles of Scilly

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

. The list includes ships that sustained a damaged hull, which were later refloated and repaired.

Before 1600

1305 — An unnamed sailing vessel wrecked on Tresco. The Coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...

, William le Poer, on the island to take charge of the salvaged cargo is ″seized by the mob″ lead by Randulph de Blancminster, Lord of the Manor, and imprisoned until he was able to purchase his freedom.

1601-1700

23 September 1641 — Merchant Royal, English merchant ship
18 January 1665 — Royal Oak, cargo ship

1701-1800

22 October 1707 — HMS Association
HMS Association
HMS Association was a 90-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1697. She served with distinction at the capture of Gibraltar, and was lost in 1707 by grounding on the Isles of Scilly in the greatest maritime disaster of the age.-Service:Association...

, HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle (1679)
HMS Eagle was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1679.She underwent a rebuild at Chatham Dockyard in 1699, retaining her armament of 70 guns....

, HMS Romney
HMS Romney (1694)
HMS Romney was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard in 1694.Commanded by Captain William Coney, Romney was wrecked on the Scilly Isles on 26 October 1707 when a disastrous navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet through dangerous...

and HMS Firebrand
HMS Firebrand (1694)
HMS Firebrand was a Royal Navy fireship built at Limehouse in 1694, the first Royal Naval vessel to bear the name.-Service:Firebrand served in the Caribbean and Mediterranean...

with the loss of nearly 2,000 souls; HMS Phoenix
HMS Phoenix (1694)
HMS Phoenix was originally built as a fireship. In 1707, she belonged to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet. She saw action during the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon and was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly when Shovell and four of his ships were lost, claiming...

sustained a damaged hull but was later refloated and repaired (see Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Scilly naval disaster of 1707 is an umbrella term for the events of 22 October 1707 that led to the sinking of a British naval fleet off the Isles of Scilly. With four large ships and more than 1,400 sailors lost in stormy weather, it was one of the greatest maritime disasters in the history of...

).
13 June 1743 — VOC Hollandia
VOC ship Hollandia
Hollandia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company which wrecked on Annet, Isles of Scilly on 13 June 1743 causing 276 fatalities. The wreck was discovered in 1971 by Rex Cowan, a London attorney.-History:...

, cargo ship wrecked on Gunner Rock, Annet
Annet, Isles of Scilly
Annet is the second largest of the fifty or so uninhabited Isles of Scilly, one km west of St Agnes with a length of one km and approximately 22 ha in area. The low lying island is almost divided in two by a narrow neck of land at West Porth which can, at times, be covered by waves...

with the loss of 276 souls. In 1971 Rex Cowan found the wreck, a large quantity of coins along with bronze cannons and mortars.
February 1784 — the Nancy, carrying actress Ann Cargill
Ann Cargill
Ann Cargill was a British opera diva and celebrated beauty whose life and death were a sensation in London at the close of the 18th century.-Life:...

, wrecked on Rosevear
Rosevear
Rosevear is a small uninhabited island in the Isles of Scilly, and part of the group of Western Rocks.The island became infamous because of the number of shipwrecks in the area. The ghost of opera singer Ann Cargill, who died when The Nancy was shipwrecked on Rosevear in 1784, is said to haunt the...

or possibly the Western Rocks
Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly
Western Rocks is a group of uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.They are located south-west of St Mary's, with Annet and St Agnes immediately to their north-east and Bishop Rock to their west. The larger islands in this archipelago are, from north to south: Great Crebwethan,...

. 36 crew, 12 passengers, and 1 prisoner drowned.
10 December 1798 — HMS Colossus
HMS Colossus (1787)
HMS Colossus was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Gravesend on 4 April 1787 and lost on 10 December 1798.-Early history:...

, British naval vessel wrecked in St Mary's Roads. One sailor drowned.

1813

27 January 1813 – The West Indian merchant ship Queen Charlotte was lost with four sailors. During the rescue operation, two Scilly pilots also drowned.

1841

4 January 1841 — a paddle steamer the Dublin steam packet SS Thames
SS Thames
The Irish steamer, SS Thames, commanded by Captain Gray, was shipwrecked on the Cribewidden Rock in the Isles of Scilly in the early morning of 4 January 1841, on her way from Dublin to London.- Night-time Storm :...

, en route from Dublin to London sunk with 62 of the 66 passenger and crew drowned in a strong NE gale near Corregan and Rosevear. Her Captain mistook the St Agnes light for the Longships and changed course to head north. Pilot gig Whale, the only boat which managed to reach the wreck save three women.

1843

21 November 1843 — British schooner Challenger from Surinam was wrecked on the Nundeeps.
Wooden schooner Douro wrecked on passage from Liverpool to West Africa with a cargo of bailed goods, armoury and brass stops (horseshoe shaped manillas
Manillas
Manillas are penannular armlets, mostly in bronze or copper, very rarely gold, which served as a form of money or barter coinage and to a degree, ornamentation, amongst certain West African peoples...

or bracelets used as tokens in the slave trade)

1853

24 March 1853 — German cargo ship Sultana was lost on the Nundeeps and her whole crew drowned in the wreck.

1860

14 July 1860 — Austrian SV Osvetitel was wrecked in fog on the Maiden Bower Rock, but her crew and most of her cargo was recovered.

1863

December 1863— Sailing ship Friar Tuck with a cargo of tea wrecked in a north-west gale on Porth Loo, St Mary's. Crew landed by rocket apparatus.

1870

1st week of April 1870 — SS Sado lost on the Brow of the Ponds between Crebawthan and Jackyl Rock. Carrying a cargo of wood, wine, oranges and eggs. ″Some of the eggs hatched, the breed of fowl proved unsatisfactory and eventually died″.

1871

1871 – the Belle of the South hit the Perconger Ledge, repaired and continued her journey to South Africa.

1872

16 July 1872 — SS Earl of Arran
West Cornwall Steam Ship Company
The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established in 1870 to operate ferry services between Penzance, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly.-History:The company was formed on 5 February 1870, principally by the shareholders in the West Cornwall Railway...

passenger steamer, which travelled between the islands and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...

struck a rock St Martin's Neck after a passenger, Stephen Woodcock, a pilot-boat crew member though himself not a pilot, talked the Captain into a short cut. The 92 passengers and crew were saved though the Earl was beyond help.
6 October 1872 – Little Western
West Cornwall Steam Ship Company
The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established in 1870 to operate ferry services between Penzance, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly.-History:The company was formed on 5 February 1870, principally by the shareholders in the West Cornwall Railway...

wrecked on the Wells Reef.
23 November 1872 – Italian barque Rosa Tacchini was wrecked on the Paper Ledges, near Tresco after her anchors dragged. No one was hurt, but the wreck remained in is position for some years.

1873

10 June 1873 – Local sailing lugger Cornish Girl sank after striking the Round Rock in the Spanish Ledges. The crew escaped.

1874

18 January 1874 — Minnehaha
Minnehaha (cargo ship)
On 18 January 1874, whilst travelling from Callao, Peru to Dublin, the 845-ton cargo barque Minnehaha was wrecked off Peninnis Head, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.-External links:* - Cornwall Dive Sites...

, cargo ship wrecked on St Mary's with the loss of ten lives.
16 April 1874 — SS Zelda was sunk on the Maiden Bower Rock in fog. Her crew and passengers were saved, and some cargo was salved by divers. When the wreck was inspected in 1966, it was found that not only had the SS Brinkburn sunk on top of the Zelda in 1898, but that evidence of an unknown wooden warship was found beneath it.

1875

8 May 1875 — SS Schiller
SS Schiller
SS Schiller was a 3,421 ton German ocean liner, one of the largest vessels of her time. She plied her trade across the Atlantic Ocean, carrying passengers between New York and Hamburg for the German Transatlantic Steam Navigation Line...

, German liner on journey from New York to Hamburg, wrecked on Retarrier Ledges with the loss of 335 people.

1877

June 1877 — The SS Castleford struck the Crebawethans
Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly
Western Rocks is a group of uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.They are located south-west of St Mary's, with Annet and St Agnes immediately to their north-east and Bishop Rock to their west. The larger islands in this archipelago are, from north to south: Great Crebwethan,...

and led to some of her cargo of 250 to 450 cattle being landed on Annet
Annet, Isles of Scilly
Annet is the second largest of the fifty or so uninhabited Isles of Scilly, one km west of St Agnes with a length of one km and approximately 22 ha in area. The low lying island is almost divided in two by a narrow neck of land at West Porth which can, at times, be covered by waves...

and staying there for up to ten days.

1879

27 July 1879, cargo sailing ship River Lune was lost on the coast of Annet
Annet, Isles of Scilly
Annet is the second largest of the fifty or so uninhabited Isles of Scilly, one km west of St Agnes with a length of one km and approximately 22 ha in area. The low lying island is almost divided in two by a narrow neck of land at West Porth which can, at times, be covered by waves...

after a faulty chronometer put her off course. She sank in ten minutes, but the crew escaped. A few hours later, the sailing barque Maipu was wrecked in Hell Bay Bryher
Bryher, Isles of Scilly
Bryher is the smallest of the five inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly. It is home to a population of 83 . Bryher has an area of .-Geography:...

in heavy fog. Again, the crew were saved.

1882

24 April 1882 – London barge St Vincent sinks near Pelistry after striking the Spanish Ledges. The crew escape, but there is much embarrassment as she was carrying an island pilot.

1885

17 December 1885 — Cargo ship SS Sussex struck the Maiden Bower Rock after being caught in heavy fog, although the captain was travelling at an unsafe speed. The ship drifted off the rock, and the crew escaped. The wreck broke up a week later in heavy seas.
1885 Earl of Lonsdale wrecked in Smith Sound, off the Troy Town maze, St Agnes.

1887

8 June 1887 – Steamer SS Castleford ran aground amongst the Western Rocks
Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly
Western Rocks is a group of uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.They are located south-west of St Mary's, with Annet and St Agnes immediately to their north-east and Bishop Rock to their west. The larger islands in this archipelago are, from north to south: Great Crebwethan,...

, spilling 450 cattle into the sea, many of which were later rescued.

1893

4 April 1893, Horsa cargo full-rigger from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

grounded in a cove on St Martin's, and capsized some hours later whilst being towed off: no-one was killed.
24 November 1893, The SS Serica nearly foundered and took shelter in St Mary's Roads on the 19th. As she left she struck an uncharted rock (later named Serica Rock) and sank.

1898

15 December 1898, Steamship SS Brinkburn was sunk in fog on the Maiden Bower Rock. Her crew were saved. Inspection of the wreck showed that beneath her were two other ships, one unknown.

1901-1918

1903

17 June 1903 — Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

steamer James Spier bound for Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....

from Liverpool rammed in dense fog by Norwegian barque Magdelen 30 miles SSW. Lost her mizzen mast and towed to Penzance by steam trawler Buckhound.

1904

13 August1904 — HMS Decoy
HMS Decoy (1894)
HMS Decoy was a Daring-class torpedo boat destroyer which served with the Royal Navy.She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick and was launched on 7 February 1894....

(Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

) a Daring class torpedo boat destroyer in collision with off the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

with the loss of one life

1907

14 December 1907 — Thomas W. Lawson
Thomas W. Lawson (ship)
The Thomas W. Lawson was a seven-masted, steel-hulled schooner originally planned for the Pacific trade, but then used primarily to haul coal and oil along the East Coast of the United States. Built in 1902, the ship holds the distinction of being the largest schooner and the largest pure sailing...

, the world's only seven-masted schooner going as bulk oil carrier in charter for the Anglo-American Oil Co. Bound for London from Philadelphia the huge schooner was caught in a northwest gale off the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

on the 13 December 1907. The ship foundered, broke apart, capsized, and sank with a loss of 16 men including the Scilloninan pilot on board. Only two men, the captain and engineer survived, saved by the son of the pilot who was out searching for his father.

1909

August — a grain boat struck the Lethegus' Ledge off St Agnes in thick fog. All the crew were saved but a man and boy from Hugh Town were lost when the boat went down without warning as they were unloading the cargo.

1910

17 April 1910 (or 18) — SS Minnehaha
SS Minnehaha
Minnehaha was a 13,443-ton ocean liner built by Harland and Wolff and launched on 31 March 1900. Operated by the American-owned Atlantic Transport Line, she was the sister ship of SS Minneapolis, SS Minnetonka, and SS Minnewaska....

, first-class liner hit Scilly Rock off Bryher in dense fog. Later refloated with no loss of life.

1911

8 January 1911 — ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) off the Gunners in Broad Sound

1917

11 May 1917 — Two ships are wrecked on the same day during heavy fog, the SS Italia, a steam collier was wrecked on the Wingletang Rock off St Agnes, and the SS Lady Charlotte, another collier
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...

, was lost on Porth Hellick on St Mary's.
5 October 1917 — American schooner Annie F. Conlon was badly damaged by gunfire from a German submarine, and was towed to Tean Sound, where she rapidly broke up.
6 December 1917 — USS Jacob Jones
USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)
USS Jacob Jones The United States Navy's hull classification system—in which Jacob Jones would have been designated DD-61—was not implemented until July 1920...

, American destroyer

1927

27 October 1927 — ( Italy) with a cargo of grain ashore on the Scilly Rock, west of Bryher. Three small boats Czar, Ivy and Sunbeam saved 31 men from the sea and wreck. Conditions deteriorated by the time lifeboat Elsie ( Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....

) arrived and she had to leave four men clinging to the rigging, returning the next day to pick them up along with one from the Scilly Rock. (The account of the rescue differs with 28 or 36 men saved out of a crew of 38).

1939

22 December 1939 — SS Longships, a British cargo ship, was wrecked on the Seven Stones
Seven Stones reef
Seven Stones reef is a rocky reef at 50° 03' North, 6° 04' West to the west of Land's End and the north east of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK.The reef is a navigational hazard for shipping which has caused many shipwrecks including the Torrey Canyon...

rocks near where the Torrey Canyon
Torrey Canyon
The Torrey Canyon was a supertanker capable of carrying a cargo of 120,000 tons of crude oil, which was shipwrecked off the western coast of Cornwall, England in March 1967 causing an environmental disaster...

would later be lost. The crew were rescued.

1944

1 September 1944 — U-247, German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
18 December 1944 — U-1209, German U-boat hit the Wolf Rock
Wolf Rock, Cornwall
Wolf Rock is a treacherous rock located east of St Mary's, Isles of Scilly and southwest of Land's End, in Cornwall, United Kingdom. A lighthouse, known as the Wolf Rock Lighthouse, was built on the rock by James Walker from 1861 to 1869; it entered service in January 1870.The lighthouse is in...

while schnorkelling, survivors picked up by Naval vessels.

1945

21 January 1945 — U-1199, German U-boat
24 February 1945 — Oriskany, fruit cargo ship
24 February 1945 — U-1208, German U-boat.
10 March 1945 — U-681, German U-boat

1949

unknown date — The Fantree a 6,300 ton cargo ship with a cargo of hardwood struck the Seven Stones Reef

1951

10 September 1951 — The Scilly Isles packet steamer SS Scillonian ran ashore on the Wingletang Rock in fog. She was later refloated and continued in service.

1955

22 July 1955 — Panamanian registered steamer SS Punta drove onto the Seven Stones reef
Seven Stones reef
Seven Stones reef is a rocky reef at 50° 03' North, 6° 04' West to the west of Land's End and the north east of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK.The reef is a navigational hazard for shipping which has caused many shipwrecks including the Torrey Canyon...

and was abandoned by her crew. She filled and sank soon afterwards.

1967

18 March 1967 — Torrey Canyon
Torrey Canyon
The Torrey Canyon was a supertanker capable of carrying a cargo of 120,000 tons of crude oil, which was shipwrecked off the western coast of Cornwall, England in March 1967 causing an environmental disaster...

, ran aground on Pollard's Rock in the Seven Stones
Seven Stones reef
Seven Stones reef is a rocky reef at 50° 03' North, 6° 04' West to the west of Land's End and the north east of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK.The reef is a navigational hazard for shipping which has caused many shipwrecks including the Torrey Canyon...

reef between the Cornish mainland and the Isles of Scilly, loaded with 120,000 tonnes of crude oil. The vessel released 31,000 gallons of oil much of which washed up on the Cornish coast.

1970

25 February 1970 — French channel trawler Jean Gougy was lost on the Western Rocks
Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly
Western Rocks is a group of uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.They are located south-west of St Mary's, with Annet and St Agnes immediately to their north-east and Bishop Rock to their west. The larger islands in this archipelago are, from north to south: Great Crebwethan,...

. The exact location is unknown, but wreckage and a body were washed up on Tresco. The other 13 crew were never found.
15 April 1970 — The Cypriot MV Poleire transporting zinc ore to Poland was wrecked on the Little Kettle Rock north of Tresco, and rapidly sank.

1976

29 September 1976 – The Romanian fish factory ship Rarau was wrecked on the Seven Stones, where she later sank, although the crew were all rescued.

1977

13 February 1977 — French trawler Enfant du Bretagne was lost on the Western Rocks
Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly
Western Rocks is a group of uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.They are located south-west of St Mary's, with Annet and St Agnes immediately to their north-east and Bishop Rock to their west. The larger islands in this archipelago are, from north to south: Great Crebwethan,...

at night. Coastguards were able to reach the crew, but all drowned in the heavy seas before they could be brought aboard.

1979

August 1979 — Fastnet race
1979 Fastnet race
The 1979 Fastnet race was the twenty-eighth Fastnet race, a yachting race competition held since 1925, generally every two years. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race Admiral's Cup competition, as it had been since 1957....

, many racing yachts sank in extreme weather

1997

26 March 1997 — MV Cita
MV Cita
On 26 March 1997, the 300-ft merchant vessel MV Cita pierced its hull when running aground on rocks off the south coast of the Isles of Scilly in gale-force winds en route from Southampton to Belfast...

( Antigua and Barbuda), German owned cargo ship wrecked on St Mary's. The St Mary's lifeboat took all nine Polish crew ashore.
16 May 1997 — passenger ship MS Albatros, sustained 200-foot gash, later repaired

2000

29 March 2000 — sailing race vessel Team Philips
Team Philips
Team Philips was a catamaran sailing vessel built to try to take Pete Goss around the world in record time.The design consisted of two thin, wave piercing hulls, each with its own sail, connected by high placed bridges between the hulls to minimise wave drag. It was built in Totnes, England to...

, front section of hull broke off, later repaired.

2005

4 July 2005 — trawler Sauveterre ( sank sixty miles off the Isles of Scilly