# List of shipwrecks in May 1888

The list of shipwrecks in May 1888 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during May 1888.

## 1 May

List of shipwrecks: 1 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lucinda | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the steamship Garonne ( United Kingdom) and sank in the Red Sea (18°35′N 39°45′E﻿ / ﻿18.583°N 39.750°E﻿ / 18.583; 39.750) with the loss of two of her crew. Lucinda was on a voyage from Akyab, Burma to Port Said, Egypt. |
| Margaret | United Kingdom | The clipper-schooner carrying straw, sank not far from Dover. |

## 3 May

List of shipwrecks: 3 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Isabel | United States | The schooner sank in the Shumagin Islands, District of Alaska during a storm. All nineteen members of her crew abandoned ship in eight dories, but twelve of them perished in the boats. Over the month following the sinking, the seven survivors were rescued, the last two from a dory on 4 June by the schooner Kodiak ( United States). |

## 4 May

List of shipwrecks: 4 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Exmoor | United Kingdom | The steamship foundered in the North Sea off Texel, North Holland, Netherlands. Her crew were rescued by the barque King's County ( United Kingdom). Exmoor was on a voyage from Ipswich, Suffolk to Libava, Courland Governorate. |

## 5 May

List of shipwrecks: 5 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Penyghent, and Tsar | United Kingdom Russia | The steamship Penyghent collided with the steamship Tsar and sank in the Black Sea 185 nautical miles (343 km) north of the entrance to the Bosphorus. Her crew were rescued by Tsar. Tsar was severely damaged at the bow. She put back to Odessa. |
| No. 8 | Belgium | The pilot boat, a sloop, collided with the steamship Amethyst ( United Kingdom) and sank in the English Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off Beachy Head, Sussex, United Kingdom. Her six crew survived. |

## 6 May

List of shipwrecks: 6 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Benizon, and Eureka | United Kingdom United States | The steamships collided in the Atlantic Ocean. Eureka sank. Her crew were rescued by Benizon. Benizon was on a voyage from Matanzas, Cuba to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was towed in to Philadelphia severely damaged at the bow. |

## 7 May

List of shipwrecks: 7 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Catalonia | United Kingdom | The steamship struck a rock off Mizen Head, County Cork and was damaged. Subsequently repaired and returned to service. |
| Egyptian Monarch | United Kingdom | The steamship struck a rock in the Isles of Scilly and was damaged. She was on a voyage from New York, United States to London. She put in to Falmouth, Cornwall waterlogged at the bow. |

## 8 May

List of shipwrecks: 8 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Electric | United Kingdom | The tug ran aground on Lundy Island, Devon and sank. Her crew were rescued. |
| Henry Edmunds | United Kingdom | The brigantine was wrecked at Overton, Glamorgan. Her crew survived. |
| Kirklees | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Breaksea Point, Glamorgan and was damaged. She was on a voyage from Cork to Newport, Monmouthshire. She completed her voyage. |

## 9 May

List of shipwrecks: 9 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Boucau | France | The steamship ran aground on Lundy Island, Devon, United Kingdom. She was on a voyage from Cardiff, Glamorgan, United Kingdom to Bayonne, Basses-Pyrénées. She was refloated. |
| Gerhardine | Germany | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked at the mouth of the Corga, Cape Colony with the loss of two of her crew. |
| Radnor | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground on Lundy Island and sank. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Cardiff to Galaţi, Romania. |

## 10 May

List of shipwrecks: 10 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Amana | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Suez, Egypt. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Rangoon, Burma. |

## 11 May

List of shipwrecks: 11 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Protector | United Kingdom | The ship struck a floating object and foundered in the North Channel between Torr Head, County Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre, Argyllshire. Her crew survived. |

## 13 May

List of shipwrecks: 13 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| No. 5 | United Kingdom | The pilot boat was run down and sunk by the barque Governor ( United Kingdom) 2+1⁄2 nautical miles (4.6 km) south of the Bar Lightship ( Trinity House) with the loss of a pilot. |

## 16 May

List of shipwrecks: 16 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Arklow | Canada | The ship was damaged by fire at Cardiff, Glamorgan, United Kingdom. |
| Christina | Canada | The barque was destroyed by fire in the Atlantic Ocean (45°00′N 8°50′W﻿ / ﻿45.000°N 8.833°W﻿ / 45.000; -8.833). Her crew were rescued by a steamship. Christina was on a voyage from Cardiff to Cape Town, Cape Colony. |
| Melanesia | United Kingdom | The ship was sighted in the Atlantic Ocean (5°48′N 21°44′W﻿ / ﻿5.800°N 21.733°W﻿ / 5.800; -21.733) whilst on a voyage from the River Tyne to Valparaíso, Chile. No further trace, reported missing. |

## 17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| City of Para | Flag unknown | The ship ran aground at Old Providence Island, Colombia. She was on a voyage from Colón, Colombia to New York, United States. |
| Jeune Hortense | France | The schooner was driven ashore and wrecked at Long Rock, Cornwall. The Penzance Lifeboat, having been brought by carriage to the beach near Marazion, rescued four of her crew. |
| Otto | Flag unknown | The ship was driven ashore in Mount's Bay, Cornwall. She was salvaged and later was renamed Providence and operated out of Penzance. |
| Nulli Secundus | Germany | The brigantine was driven ashore in Mount's Bay. |

## 18 May

List of shipwrecks: 18 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Emilie | Norway | The barque collided with another vessel off the Wolf Rock, Cornwall, United Kingdom and was severely damaged. She was on a voyage from Jamaica to Goole, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. She put in to Plymouth Soud. |

## 21 May

List of shipwrecks: 21 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Albion | United Kingdom | The pilot boat, a lugger, was run down and sunk by a steamship 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off the Bolt Tail, Devon. |

## 23 May

List of shipwrecks: 23 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Paparisetta | Italy | The barque was abandoned in the Indian Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) east of East London, Cape Colony. Her crew were rescued by the barquentine Myvanwy ( United Kingdom). Paparisetta was on a voyage from Java, Netherlands East Indies to Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom. |

## 25 May

List of shipwrecks: 25 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pactolus | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at Dungeness, Kent. She was on a voyage from Trinidad to London. She was refloated with assistance and resumed her voyage in a leakyn condition. |
| Zouave | United Kingdom | The full-rigged ship was abandoned at sea. Her thirteen crew were rescued by the full-rigged ship Larnica ( United Kingdom). Zouave was on a voyage from Mobile, Alabama to Queenborough, Kent. |

## 26 May

List of shipwrecks: 26 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Granit | Norway | The barque sprang a leak and foundered in the South Atlantic. Her crew were rescued by the barque Askoy ( Norway). Granit was on a voyage from Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France to Buenos Aires, Argentina. |

## 27 May

List of shipwrecks: 27 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Glenorchy | United Kingdom | The ship caught fire at sea. She was on a voyage from Dundee, Forfarshire to Calcutta, India. The fire was extinguished and she completed her voyage. |

## 29 May

List of shipwrecks: 29 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Active | United Kingdom | The ketch was run down and sunk off Berry Head, Devon by the full-rigged ship Airlie ( United Kingdom). Her crew were rescued by the fishing trawler Latona ( United Kingdom). Active was on a voyage from Deptford, Kent to Plymouth, Devon. |

## 30 May

List of shipwrecks: 30 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Atlas | Sweden | The steamship was driven ashore in the Great Belt. She was on a voyage from a German port to Horsens. |
| Long Ditton | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the steamship Saltwick ( United Kingdom) in the Bute Channel and was beached at Cardiff, Glamorgan. |
| Soleria | United Kingdom | The barque was abandoned at sea. Her crew were rescued by Rewa ( United Kingdom). |
| Teal | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground in the River Thames at East Greenwich, Middlesex. She was on a voyage from Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands to London. |

## 31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Chilton | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. She was refloated the next day but consequently foundered. |
| Maggie McRae | Canada | The schooner foundered in Lake Superior 6 nautical miles (11 km) east of Thunder Cape, Ontarion. |
| Sailor Prince | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Cardiff, Glamorgan. She was then run into by the steamship Rosslyn ( United Kingdom). |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date in May 1888 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aeriel | Denmark | The schooner was driven ashore on Saltholmen. She was on a voyage from Dantsic to Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. She was refloated. |
| Ananda | Sweden | The ship ran aground at Arkö. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom to Norrköping. She was refloated and beached on Gränsö in a waterlogged condition. |
| City of Bristol | United Kingdom | The steamship caught fire. She was on a voyage from Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands to Belfast, County Antrim. The fire was extinguished and she was towed in to Swansea, Glamorgan. |
| City of Rotterdam | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground on the Krautzand, in the North Sea. |
| Dordogne, Dunmail, and Gloamin | Flag unknown United Kingdom United Kingdom | The steamship Dordogne collided with the steamship Dunmail at Penarth, Glamorgan. She attempted to put in to Penarth, but was run into by the steamship Gloamin and was severely damaged She put in to Cardiff, Glamorgan. Dunmail was severely damaged. Gloamin put in to Penarth. |
| Dunleary | United Kingdom | The barquentine ran aground and was wrecked in the River Mersey. |
| Fay | United Kingdom | The schooner caught fire and sank in the North Sea. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Harburg, Germany to Brest, Finistère, France. |
| Fratellanza | Italy | The ship was lost in Netherlands East Indies waters. At least some of her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Sourabaya, Netherlands East Indies to an English port. |
| Ganges | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at False Point, India. |
| Hinricke | Germany | The brig foundered at sea. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Paysandú, Uruguay to Falmouth, Cornwall. |
| Jeune St. Vincent | France | The ship was run into by the steamship Springbok ( United Kingdom) at Swansea and was severely damaged. Jeune St. Vincent put in to Swansea. |
| Marie Riebeck | Germany | The barque was destroyed by fire in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by the barque Riga ( Norway). Marie Riebeck was on a voyage from Genoa, Italy to a port in California, United States. |
| Marquis de Mudela | Spain | The steamship was driven ashore. She was refloated and taken in to El Ferrol in a leaky condition. |
| Minstrel King | United Kingdom | The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by the steamship Teutonia ( Germany). |
| Normandy | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground at Las Palmas, Canary Islands. She was on a voyage from London to Madagascar. She was refloated and found to be leaky. |
| Prins Frederick | Netherlands | The steamship was driven ashore. She was later refloated and towed in to Gibraltar. |
| Raffaele Ligure | Italy | The barque ran aground on the Longsand, in the North Sea off the coast of Essex, United Kingdom. She was abandoned the next day and became a wreck. |
| Regulus | United Kingdom | The steamship was driven ashore at Poti, Austria-Hungary. |
| Robilant | Italy | The steamship was damaged by fire at Norfolk, Virginia, United States. |
| Stockholm | Sweden | The steamship ran aground in the Elbe at Schulauw, Germany. She was on a voyage from Stockholm to Hamburg, Germany. |
| Tiger | United Kingdom | The steamship ran aground in the Elbe at Schulauw. She was on a voyage from Hull, Yorkshire to Hamburg. |
| W. H. White | United States | The ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean before 20 May. |
| Many unnamed vessels | France | Between 30 and 35 fishing vessels were wrecked on the coast of Iceland with the loss of about 400 lives. |