# List of shipwrecks in May 1881

The list of shipwrecks in May 1881 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during May 1881.

## 2 May

List of shipwrecks: 2 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unnamed | Flag unknown | The steamship caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean (37°48′N 9°14′W﻿ / ﻿37.800°N 9.233°W﻿ / 37.800; -9.233). Witnessed by the steamship Saga ( Norway), which found no sign of survivors. |

## 3 May

List of shipwrecks: 3 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aldebaran | Denmark | The schooner ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, Kent, United Kingdom. She was refloated with assistance from a tug and the Ramsgate Lifeboat and taken in to Ramsgate, Kent. |
| Catherine | United Kingdom | The fishing smack was driven at Sea Palling, Norfolk. Her crew were rescued by the Palling Lifeboat. She was on a voyage from Texel, North Holland, Netherlands to Ramsgate. |

## 5 May

List of shipwrecks: 5 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ellen Haworth | United Kingdom | The schooner was driven ashore and wrecked in the Ness of Duncansby, Caithness. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Runcorn, Cheshire to Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. |
| Ivy Home | United Kingdom | The steamship foundered off the Butt of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Her crew were rescued by a fishing smack. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Dublin. |

## 6 May

List of shipwrecks: 6 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alicia | United Kingdom | The schooner collided with the steamship Bucentaur ( United Kingdom and sank in the English Channel off The Lizard, Cornwall with the loss of a crew member. Survivors were rescued by Bucentaur. |
| Prosperity | United Kingdom | The schooner ran aground on the Brambles, in the Solent. She was on a voyage from London to Fleetwood, Lancashire. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| St. Helena | United Kingdom | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (46°20′N 36°50′W﻿ / ﻿46.333°N 36.833°W﻿ / 46.333; -36.833). Her crew were rescued by the steamship Hansa ( Germany). |

## 7 May

List of shipwrecks: 7 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Amicitia | Germany | The schooner foundered off Domesnes, Russia. Her crew were rescued by Solide (Flag unknown). |
| Ben Lomond | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the steamship Naworth Castle ( United Kingdom) at Copenhagen, Denmark and was beached. Ben Lomond was on a voyage from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States to Stettin, Germany. She was refloated on 9 May and taken in to Copenhagen for repairs. |
| Culmore | United Kingdom | The steamship struck the Crim Rocks, near the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly and foundered. The captain and three of the crew lost their lives. She was on a voyage from Valencia, Spain to Liverpool, Lancashire. |
| Felicity | United Kingdom | The brig was driven ashore and wrecked on Skagen, Denmark. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, county Durham to Stockholm, Sweden. |
| Hegir | Sweden | The steamship ran aground at Maassluis, South Holland, Netherlands. She was on a voyage from Rotterdam, South Holland to Gothenburg. She was refloated and put back to Rotterdam for repairs. |
| Marseilles | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Berville-sur-Mer, Eure, France. All 120 people on board were rescued. She was on a voyage from Dieppe, Seine-Inférieure, France to Newhaven, Sussex. She was refloated and put back to Dieppe. |
| Redland | United Kingdom | The steamship was driven ashore at Port Eynon Point, Glamorgan. She was refloated. |

## 8 May

List of shipwrecks: 8 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Laura Gillies | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground in the Gironde. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |

## 9 May

List of shipwrecks: 9 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gananoque | United Kingdom | The ship was crushed by ice off the Birds Rocks and was abandoned by her crew. She was on a voyage from Belfast, County Antrim to Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. |

## 10 May

List of shipwrecks: 10 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gananoque | United Kingdom | The barque collided with an iceberg in the Gulf of St. Lawrence four miles (6.4 km) off the Bird Rocks in the Magdalen Islands, Nova Scotia, Canada and sank. Her crew landed on Bird Rocks; they were rescued on 12 May. |

## 11 May

List of shipwrecks: 11 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Milanese | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the steamship Asia ( United Kingdom) in the River Thames and was beached near Gravesend, Kent. Milanese was on a voyage from Burriana, Spain to London. |
| Trinidad | United States | During a voyage from Port Huron, Michigan, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a cargo of coal, the 140-foot (43 m) schooner sank suddenly in 270 feet (82 m) of water in Lake Michigan near Algoma, Wisconsin, with no loss of human life, although the ship's mascot, a large Newfoundland dog, died in the sinking. The crew abandoned ship in a yawl and arrived safely at Algoma. The virtually intact wreck was discovered in July 2023. |

## 14 May

List of shipwrecks: 14 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Jane Jones | United Kingdom | The schooner sank in Carnarvon Bay 6 nautical miles (11 km) off Porthdinllaen Point, Caernarfonshire. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Swansea, Glamorgan to Caernarfon. |

## 16 May

List of shipwrecks: 16 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Cornelia | Norway | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Cambrian Prince ( United Kingdom). Cornelia was on a voyage from Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. |
| Maria | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Middle Bank, in the Larne Lough. |
| Unnamed | Flag unknown | The ship caught fire and exploded off Heligoland, witnessed by the smack Fairy ( United Kingdom). |

## 17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unnamed | Flag unknown | The steamship ran aground on the Nore. |

## 18 May

List of shipwrecks: 18 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Norval | United Kingdom | The brig was run down by an unidentified screw steamer; the master was drowned, but crew were rescued. |
| Resucitado | Portugal | The schooner collided with the steamship Euphrate ( France) and sank. Her crew were rescued by Euphrate. |
| Unnamed | Flag unknown | The steamship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, Kent, United Kingdom. |

## 19 May

List of shipwrecks: 19 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Cito | Norway | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (34°42′N 73°21′W﻿ / ﻿34.700°N 73.350°W﻿ / 34.700; -73.350). She was on a voyage from Wilmington, Delaware to Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands and/or Hamburg, Germany. She was discovered on 22 May by Colonist ( Norway), which put four crew aboard with the intention of taking her to a port. Cito arrived at Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom on 3 July. |
| Eurynome | United Kingdom | The ship departed from Geelong, Victoria for Havre de Grâce, Seine-Inférieure, France. No further trace, reported overdue. |

## 20 May

List of shipwrecks: 20 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| A. Strong | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground on the Shipwash Sand, in the North Sea off the coast of Sussex. She was refloated with the assistance of a tug and resumed her voyage. |
| Emma | Germany | The brig was driven ashore. She was refloated and towed in to Whitby, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. |
| Flora | Norway | The barque was driven ashore on the Isle of Arran, Inner Hebrides, United Kingdom. She was refloated the next day and taken in to Lamlash, Isle of Arran. |
| Reine des Flots | France | The ship ran aground at Newport, Monmouthshire and sprang a severe leak. |

## 21 May

List of shipwrecks: 21 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Duchess of Lanchester | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore on the Holy Island, in the Firth of Clyde. |

## 23 May

List of shipwrecks: 23 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ellen Vair | United Kingdom | The schooner collided with Gertrude ( United Kingdom) and was abandoned in the English Channel 6 nautical miles (11 km) off The Lizard, Cornwall. Her crew were rescued by Gertrude. |

## 24 May

List of shipwrecks: 24 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Victoria | Canada | While carrying passengers back to downtown London during Victoria Day celebrations, the steamboat sank in the Thames River, due to overcrowding causing her to strike a rock in the shallow river and ultimately capsize. Approximately 182 people drowned out of a total of 600 on board. |

## 25 May

List of shipwrecks: 25 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aimo | Sweden | The ship collided with Sleipner ( Norway) at Gothenburg and was severely damaged. Aimo was on a voyage from Slite to Grimsby, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. |
| Grangemouth | United Kingdom | The steamship was driven ashore on Fidra, Lothian. She was on a voyage from Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands to Grangemouth, Stirlingshire. She was refloated and taken in to Leith, Lothian waterlogged at the bow. |

## 26 May

List of shipwrecks: 26 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Vedremo | Italy | The barque was destroyed by fire at Mobile, Alabama, United States. |

## 27 May

List of shipwrecks: 27 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Huguenot | United States | The ship struck a rock in the Allor Straits and foundered. Her crew were rescued. |

## 28 May

List of shipwrecks: 28 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Fritz | Germany | The barque was driven ashore at Littlestone-on-Sea, Kent, United Kingdom. She was on a voyage from Dantzic to Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Inférieure, France. |
| Mary Hough | United Kingdom | The steamship collided in thick fog with the steamship Castilian ( United Kingdom) in the River Mersey. Taken under tow by the steam tug Hercules ( United Kingdom), a few minutes later, she was run into by the mail steamship African ( United Kingdom) and sank. Her crew took to the boats and landed at Liverpool. Mary Hough was refloated on 10 June and beached at Egremont, Lancashire. |

## 29 May

List of shipwrecks: 29 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Darent, and an unnamed vessel | United Kingdom Greece | The steamship Darent and a barque were run into by the steamship Southella at Sulina, Romania. Both vessels were severely damaged. |
| Dunvegan Castle | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Maughold Head, Isle of Man. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Larne, County Antrim. She was refloated and taken in to Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire waterlogged at the bows. She was placed under repair. |
| Lord Alfred Paget | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the steamship Garrison ( United Kingdom) off Whitby, Yorkshire and was severely damaged. Her fourteen crew abandoned her, but one crew member was lost reboarding her. Lord Alfred Paget was on a voyage from South Shields, County Durham to London. She put in to Hartlepool, County Durham. |
| Victoria | Canada | The steamship capsized near London, Ontario with much loss of life. |

## 30 May

List of shipwrecks: 30 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alfeo | Italy | The barque ran aground at Oporto, Portugal. She was on a voyage from Oporto to New York, United States. She was refloated and put back to Oporto in a severely leaky condition. |
| Flora P. Stafford | United States | The ship collided with the steamship Haytian ( United Kingdom) and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by Haytian. Flora P. Stafford was on a voyage from Bordeaux, Gironde, France to the Hampton Roads, Virginia. |
| Pera | United Kingdom | The steamship was driven ashore in Duncansby Ness, Caithness. She was on a voyage from Montrose, Forfarshire to Liverpool, Lancashire. |
| Princess of Thule | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked west of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Runcorn, Cheshire to Boddam, Aberdeenshire. |

## 31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Queen of Nations | United Kingdom | The clipper was wrecked on Corrimal Beach, New South Wales with the loss of one life. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date in May 1881 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Adriano | Spain | The steamship collided with the steamship Unity ( United Kingdom) and sank in the Mediterranean Sea. |
| Advance | New Zealand | The schooner ran aground and was damaged at Christchurch. She was on a voyage from Thames to Kaiapoi. She was refloated. |
| Ban Righ | United Kingdom | The schooner struck rocks at Barra, Outer Hebrides. She was refloated on 6 May and towed in to Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides by the steamship Dunbeath Castle ( United Kingdom). |
| Bessy | United Kingdom | The Mersey Flat struck the pier and sank at Liverpool, Lancashire. |
| Cadigal | France | The steamship collided with a British steamship at Bilbao, Spain and was beached. She was on a voyage from Bilbao to Dunkerque, Nord. |
| Cearense | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground in the Amazon River before 15 March. She was later refloated. |
| Cerere | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at Fox River, Nova Scotia, Canada. She was on a voyage from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to Queenstown, County Cork. |
| Cito | United States | The ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. She was on a voyage from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Gibraltar. |
| Colombo | Canada | The steamship was driven ashore at Matane, Quebec. She was on a voyage from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Montreal. She was later refloated and taken in to port. |
| Elizabeth | France | The schooner was driven ashore at Cape Gatt, Spain. |
| Elpis | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. |
| Emily Mare | United Kingdom | The Thames barge was run into by the steamship Hansa ( Germany) at Blackwall, Middlesex and sank. Her crew survived. |
| Enoch Train | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore on the coast of Cuba. She was on a voyage from New Orleans to Liverpool. She was refloated and taken in to Havana, Cuba for repairs. |
| Hilda | United Kingdom | The yacht was driven ashore at Saltcoats, Ayrshire. She was on a voyage from Glasgow, Renfrewshire to Liverpool. |
| Isabel Craggs | United Kingdom | The ship caught fire at Charleston, South Carolina, United States. She was scuttled and the fire was extinguished. |
| John Geddie | United Kingdom | The barque was destroyed by fire in the Atlantic Ocean before 7 May. Her crew took to a boat; they were rescued by the brig Victoria ( Sweden). John Geddie was on a voyage from Cardiff, Glamorgan to Montevideo, Uruguay. |
| Kong Oscar | Norway | The ship was driven ashore at Quebec City, Canada. |
| Larnax | United Kingdom | The steamship was driven ashore at Tangier, Nova Scotia. |
| Lizzie Stewart | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at the mouth of the Maas. She was on a voyage from Huelva, Spain to Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands. She was refloated with assistance. |
| Margaret | United Kingdom | The schooner collided with the steamship Puno ( United Kingdom) and sank in the River Mersey. Her crew were rescued. |
| Merchant | Netherlands | The smack collided with the steamship Henry Scholefield ( United Kingdom) and sank in the North Sea with the loss of a crew member. Survivors were rescued by Henry Scholefield. |
| Nelly | United Kingdom | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. She was on a voyage from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom to Quebec City. |
| Norma | Germany | The ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued. |
| North Sea | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground on the South Sand, in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off the coast of Fife. |
| Norwood | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground at New York. She was on a voyage from New York to Antwerp, Belgium. She was refloated. |
| Parisian | United Kingdom | The ship departed from San Francisco, California, United States for Liverpool. No further trace, reported overdue. |
| Polynesian | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Quebec City. She was on a voyage from Montreal, Quebec to Quebec City. She was refloated and completed her voyage. |
| Prince Le-Boo | Canada | The ship caught fire at Saint John's, Newfoundland Colony and was severely damaged. |
| Royal Charley | Canada | The ship was wrecked at "Point Hollandes", Cuba. She was on a voyage from Havre de Grâce, Seine-Inférieure, France to New Orleans=. |
| Sarah James | United Kingdom | The schooner was driven ashore and wrecked at Cap de la Hague, Manche, France. She was on a voyage from Guernsey, Channel Islands to London. |
| Tropic | United States | The steamship was severely damaged by fire at Philadelphia. |
| Winslow | Norway | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean before 25 May. Her crew were rescued. |