# List of shipwrecks in May 1851

The list of shipwrecks in May 1851 includes ships sunk, foundered, wrecked, grounded, or otherwise lost during May 1851.

## 1 May

List of shipwrecks: 1 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Algerine | India | The brig was driven ashore and wrecked on the coast of Ceylon. |
| Asee | France | The barque was driven ashore and wrecked at San Francisco, California, United States. |
| Colombo | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked at Colombo, Ceylon with the loss of seven of her crew. She was on a voyage from Colombo to London. |
| Delia Walker | United States | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked at San Francisco. |
| Nimrod | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore in the Dardanelles. She had been refloated by 7 May. |
| Pilita | Spain | The ship was wrecked on Key Biscayne, Florida, United States. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Havana, Cuba to Bilbao. |
| Sidatorre Carolina | India | The brig was driven ashore and wrecked on the coast of Ceylon. |
| Tinker | United Kingdom | The sloop capsized in a squall off Bo'ness, Lothian with the loss of a crew member. |
| Trio | United States | The ship ran aground on the Washerwoman Shoal. She was on a voyage from Island Harbor to Key West, Florida. She was refloated and taken in to Key West. |
| Zoe | India | The brig was driven ashore and wrecked on the coast of Ceylon. |

## 2 May

List of shipwrecks: 2 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Charles Forbes | India | The ship ran aground on the Pyramid Shoals, in the Strait of Malacca and was wrecked. Some of her crew were rescued by the paddle steamer Malta ( United Kingdom). The remainder were subsequently rescued by HMS Amazon ( Royal Navy). Charles Forbes was on a voyage from Bombay, India to China. |
| Felton Park | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Little Burbo Bank, in Liverpool Bay. She was on a voyage from Constantinople, Ottoman Empire to Liverpool, Lancashire. She was refloated and completed her voyage. |
| Friendship | United Kingdom | The ship sprang a leak and was abandoned off the Farne Islands, Northumberland. She was on a voyage from Arbroath, Forfarshire to Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. She was subsequently taken in to North Sunderland, County Durham. |
| Mars | United Kingdom | The steamship struck rocks and sank off Crail, Fife with the loss of two lives. |
| Marsden | United Kingdom | The ship sank in the North Sea off Saltfleet, Lincolnshire. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne to Maldon, Essex. |
| Webster | United States | The steamboat was destroyed by fire in the Mississippi River upstream of Vicksburg, Mississippi with the loss of 40 of the 100 people on board. |

## 3 May

List of shipwrecks: 3 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Isabella and Jane | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore 50 nautical miles (93 km) north of Bayonne, Basses-Pyrénées, France. |
| Jacques | British North America | The brig was driven ashore on Janvrin Island, Nova Scotia. She was on a voyage from Havana, Cuba to Montreal and/or Quebec City, Province of Canada. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| Vesta | Russia | The barque was driven ashore and damaged at Cardiff, Glamorgan, United Kingdom. She was on a voyage from Cardiff to Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. She was refloated on 22 May and taken in to Bristol, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom for repairs. |

## 4 May

List of shipwrecks: 4 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Chance | Jersey | The ship was discovered abandoned in the Gulf of St Lawrence by Thomas Henry. A skeleton crew was put aboard and she was taken in to Quebec City, Province of Canada, British North America. |
| Fife | United Kingdom | The ship was in collision with a foreign brig and foundered in the English Channel 20 nautical miles (37 km) off Beachy Head, Sussex. Her crew were rescued by a Bermudan brig. She was on a voyage from Exeter, Devon to Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. |
| Josephine | Norway | The barque was driven ashore near Sunderland, County Durham, United Kingdom. |
| Penrhyn Castle | United Kingdom | The flat was driven ashore and wrecked at Great Orme Head, Caernarfonshire. Her crew were rescued. |
| Phoenix | Russia | The ship was driven ashore near the Tolbukhin Lighthouse. She was on a voyage from Messina, Sicily to Saint Petersburg. |
| Sophie | Stettin | The ship was driven ashore east of Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk, United Kingdom. She was refloated on 13 May and taken in to Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. |
| Totness | United Kingdom | The schooner was sunk by ice in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued on 15 May, but six passengers were left on the ice. She was on a voyage from Plymouth, Devon to St. Anthony, Newfoundland. |
| Zieper Zaritza | Peru | The ship was driven ashore at Wexford, United Kingdom. She was on a voyage from Peru to Liverpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom. She was refloated on 7 May. |

## 5 May

List of shipwrecks: 5 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Amber | British North America | The ship was wrecked in the Gut of Canso. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Prince Edward Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
| Ellen | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the North Bank, in the Irish Sea off the coast of Lancashire. She was on a voyage from Glasgow, Renfrewshire to Liverpool, Lancashire. |
| Fife | United Kingdom | The schooner was in collision with a brig and sank in the English Channel 17 nautical miles (32 km) off Beachy Head, Sussex. Her six crew took to the jolly boat and were later rescued by the brig James ( Bermuda). Fife was on a voyage from Seaton, Devon to Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. |
| Peerless | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at Alicante, Spain. She was on a voyage from Saint John's, Newfoundland, British North America to Cádiz and Alicante. She was refloated. |
| Sun | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Race Horse Bank, off the coast of Massachusetts, United States. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Boston, Massachusetts. She was refloated and taken in to Boston in a leaky condition. |

## 6 May

List of shipwrecks: 6 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Falkland | India | The paddle steamer broke in two and sank 60 nautical miles (110 km) off Kurrachee with the loss of a crew member. Survivors were rescued by the paddle steamer Berenice ( India). Falkland was on a voyage from Bombay to Kurrachee. |
| Hoop | Netherlands | The ship was wrecked on Anegada, Virgin Islands. She was on a voyage from Rotterdam, South Holland to Puerto Rico. |
| Island Maid | United Kingdom | The ship was struck the Coal Rock, off the coast of Anglesey. She was on a voyage from Newport, Monmouthshire to Liverpool, Lancashire. She consequently put in to Amlwch, Anglesey. |
| Joss | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on the Swillies, in the Menai Strait. She was on a voyage from Porthdinllaen, Caernarfonshire to Runcorn, Cheshire. |
| Maria | Hamburg | The ship foundered in the North Sea with the loss of three of her four crew. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. |
| Sophia | United Kingdom | The ship was blown out to sea from Madras, India. No further trace, presumed foundered with the loss of all hands. |

## 7 May

List of shipwrecks: 7 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sarah Ann | United States | The ship was driven ashore near "Westfleet". She was on a voyage from La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime to Boston, Massachusetts. She was refloated on 9 May and taken in to Boston. |
| Susanna | Hamburg | The ship sank off Ameland, Friesland, Netherlands. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Harlingen, Friesland. |

## 8 May

List of shipwrecks: 8 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Chebar | India | The ship ran aground on the Brouwers Shoal, off the coast of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. She was on a voyage from Hong Kong to London. She was refloated on 12 May and was towed in to Batavia, Netherlands East Indies on 14 May. |
| Jubilee | United Kingdom | The ship was in collision with Elizabeth ( United Kingdom) in the North Sea and foundered. Her crew were rescued by Margaret and Jane ( United Kingdom). Jubilee was on a voyage from London to Seaham, County Durham. |
| Jupiter | Grand Duchy of Finland | The ship was driven ashore 20 nautical miles (37 km) west of Málaga, Spain. She was on a voyage from Alexandria, Egypt to Liverpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom. |

## 9 May

List of shipwrecks: 9 Maly 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Jolly Tar | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on the Pamper Rock, in Bantry Bay with some loss of life. |
| Maria Louisa | Prussia | The brig foundered. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. |
| Wyke Regis | United Kingdom | The brig ran aground at Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. She was on a voyage from Cardiff, Glamorgan to Wilmington. |

## 10 May

List of shipwrecks: 10 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Broomielaw | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at Garvan Point, County Antrim. She was on a voyage from Sligo to Newry, County Antrim. |
| Charles | United Kingdom | The schooner was driven ashore at Leba, Prussia. She was refloated and taken in to Leba. |
| Lucile | France | The ship was lost off Alderney, Channel Islands. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Morlaix, Finistère to Harfleur, Seine-Inférieure. |

## 11 May

List of shipwrecks: 11 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Harriet | New South Wales | The cutter was driven ashore at Richmond, South Australia. |

## 12 May

List of shipwrecks: 12 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ayrshire Lass | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground in the Douro. She was refloated and taken in to Oporto, Portugal. |
| Scindian | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Dean Sand, in the Solent. she was on a voyage from London to Saint Helena. She was refloated and taken in to Portsmouth, Hampshire. |

## 13 May

List of shipwrecks: 13 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ariel | United Kingdom | The clipper was destroyed by fire off the mouth of the Hooghly River. |
| Star | United Kingdom | The schooner was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, Kent. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Plymouth, Devon. |

## 14 May

List of shipwrecks: 14 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Centurion | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground at Helsingør, Denmark. |
| Genova | United Kingdom | The steamship collided with the paddle steamer Nimrod ( United Kingdom) in the River Mersey and was severely damaged. She was taken into the Prince's Dock, Liverpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom, where she sank. All on board survived. She was on a voyage from Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France to Liverpool. |
| Hector | Kingdom of Hanover | The sealer was sunk by ice off the coast of Greenland. Her crew were rescued. |
| HMS Sprightly | Royal Navy | The paddle steamer ran aground on the Kitchen Bank, in the Solent. |

## 15 May

List of shipwrecks: 15 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Amphitrite | New South Wales | The schooner was driven ashore and wrecked at Shell Harbour. Her crew were rescued. |
| Ann | United Kingdom | The sloop sprang a leak and sank 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off Anstruther, Fife. |
| Catharine | New South Wales | The cutter was wrecked in the Bermagui River. Her crew were rescued. |
| Chameleon | Kingdom of Hawaii | The brig ran aground off Hanalei and was damaged. She was refloated, repaired and taken in to Honolulu. |
| Currency Lass | New South Wales | The cutter was wrecked at Ulladulla. |

## 16 May

List of shipwrecks: 16 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Decision | United Kingdom | The brig ran aground on the Scroby Sands, Norfolk. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Exeter, Devon. She was refloated and taken in to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. |
| Flora | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore and capsized at Bridlington, Yorkshire. She was on a voyage from Seaham, County Durham to Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. She was righted the next day and beached before being refloated and taken in to Bridlington. |
| Mary White | United Kingdom | The barque was destroyed by fire in the Atlantic Ocean (37°02′N 39°30′W﻿ / ﻿37.033°N 39.500°W﻿ / 37.033; -39.500). All on board were rescued by the brig Preciosa ( Russia). Mary White was on a voyage from Sydney, New South Wales to London. |
| Whitburn | United Kingdom | The brig was driven ashore at Bridlington. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to London. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |

## 17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Falcon | British North America | The steamship ran aground and sank on the Narrow Isle de Byro. All on board survived. She was on a voyage from St John's, Newfoundland to Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
| New Bedford | United States | The 351-ton whaling ship was wrecked in the Fox Islands near Umnak Island in the Aleutian Islands. Four members of her crew were lost while landing. Her remaining crew members were rescued by the ship Minerva Smyth ( United States) on 30 May after rowing 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi). |
| Seringapatam | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore at Portland, Dorset. She was on a voyage from Sydney, New South Wales to London. She was refloated. |
| Velocipede | United Kingdom | The brig was wrecked on or near Pratas Island. She was on a voyage from Singapore to Shanghai, China. Nine of her 31 crew reached Hong Kong in a boat. The rest were subsequently rescued by HMS Pilot ( Royal Navy). |

## 18 May

List of shipwrecks: 18 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bon Henri | France | The ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Six crew were rescued on 31 May by Caroline Schenks (Flag unknown). Bon Henri was on a voyage from Patagonia, Argentina to Mauritius. |
| Flora | France | The schooner was driven ashore at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, United Kingdom and was abandoned by her crew. She was later refloated and taken in to Bridlington, Yorkshire in a derelict condition. |
| Wheatburn | United Kingdom | The brig was driven ashore at Flamborough Head. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |

## 19 May

List of shipwrecks: 19 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Calcutta | United States | The ship struck a sunken rock in the Strait of Gibraltar. She was on a voyage from Trieste to New York. She consequently put in to Gibraltar in a leaky condition. |
| Dolphin | Netherlands | The ship ran aground on the Pan Shoal. She was on a voyage from Batavia, Netherlands East Indies to Singapore. She was refloated and completed her voyage, arriving on 22 May. |
| Fortunio | United States | The ship was wrecked on a reef at "Waketo Oahec". She was on a voyage from Sydney, New South Wales to San Francisco, California. |
| Spray | United Kingdom | The brig ran aground on the Barber Sand, in the North Sea off the coast of Norfolk. She wason a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to London. She was refloated the next day and resumed her voyage. |

## 20 May

List of shipwrecks: 20 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Catherine | New South Wales | The cutter was lost in the "Morurga River". Her crew were rescued. |

## 21 May

List of shipwrecks: 21 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bernard | United Kingdom | The ship capsized in the North Sea. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Hamburg. |
| Courrier de Brest | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on the Pierre Perrées. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Blyth, Northumberland to Brest, Finistère. |

## 22 May

List of shipwrecks: 23 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Eamont | Van Diemen's Land | The whaler, a barque, was wrecked on the coast of Japan. Her crew were rescued. |

## 23 May

List of shipwrecks: 23 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alexander | United Kingdom | The brig was driven ashore at Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. She was on a voyage from New York, United States to Saint John, New Brunswick, British North America. She was refloated on 26 May and taken in to Nantucket the next day. |
| Deslands | New South Wales | The ship ran aground at Geelong, South Australia. She was on a voyage from Sydney to Geelong. She was refloated the next day and taken in to Geelong. |
| Zealous | British North America | The ship was driven ashore in the Magdalen Islands, Nova Scotia. |

## 25 May

List of shipwrecks: 25 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Orient | New South Wales | The schooner ran aground and was damaged at Melbourne. She was on a voyage from Sydney to the Manning River.She was refloated and taken in to Melbourne for repairs. |
| Princess Royal | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground at Appledore, Devon. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Bremen. She was refloated and taken in to Appledore. |

## 26 May

List of shipwrecks: 26 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Admiral Bingham | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground and sank on the Felsand. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham to Cronstadt, Russia. |

## 27 May

List of shipwrecks: 27 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Courrier de Brest | France | The ship was driven ashore and sank near "Pierre Porcée". Her crew were rescued. |

## 28 May

List of shipwrecks: 28 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Fashion | British North America | The ship was wrecked on Punto Mila, Cuba. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Martinique to Matanzas, Cuba. |
| Oscar | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground off Dieppe, Seine-Inférieure, France and was damaged. She was refloated. |

## 29 May

List of shipwrecks: 29 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Glide | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked between Adra and Roquetas, Spain. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Galaţi, Ottoman Empire. |

## 30 May

List of shipwrecks: 30 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Georgina | United Kingdom | The ship was destroyed by fire in the Atlantic Ocean (38°36′N 10°25′W﻿ / ﻿38.600°N 10.417°W﻿ / 38.600; -10.417) with the loss of five of her seven crew. Survivors were rescued by the brig Espadarte ( Portugal). Georgina was on a voyage from Portimão, Portugal to the Clyde. |
| Pioneer | New South Wales | The brig was wrecked on the Cockburn Reef, in the Torres Strait. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Sydney to Booby Island. |

## 31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Brothers | British North America | The ship was wrecked on Marie Joseph Island. She was on a voyage from Pictou to Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
| Castor | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked at Memel, Prussia. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Malmö, Sweden to Memel. |
| Fidelity | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground in the Victoria Channel. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Drogheda, County Louth. |
| George Buckham | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on a reef in the Pacific Ocean. Duke of Roxburgh ( United Kingdom) rescued her crew. George Buckham was on a voyage from Sydney, New South Wales to Hong Kong. |
| HMS Reynard | Royal Navy | HMS Reynard. The 8-gun screw sloop was wrecked on or near Pratas Island whilst going to the aid of Velocipede ( United Kingdom). Her crew were rescued by HMS Pilot ( Royal Navy). |
| Savannah | United States | The ship was destroyed by fire at Tyler, Texas. Her crew survived. |
| Snowdrop | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Long Nose, off the north Kent coast. She was on a voyage from Youghal, County Cork to London. she was refloated on 15 June and taken in to Whitstable, Kent. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date in May 1851 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Adolphe Eugene | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore and wrecked near "Chassiron". She was on a voyage from Bordeaux, Gironde to Nantes, Loire-Inférieure. |
| Alice Haviland | United Kingdom | The ship ran ashore near Stavanger, Norway before 10 May. She was on a voyage from the Clyde to Saint Petersburg, Russia. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| Ariel | United States | Heavy rains caused an earthen dam across the outlet to Geneva Lake in Wisconsin to break, resulting in a surge of water through the lake which swept the three-masted schooner several miles downstream. She suffered so much damage that she was abandoned in place and left to rot. |
| Britannia | United Kingdom | The brig was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean before 17 May. |
| Dorothy | United Kingdom | The ship severely damaged at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Somme, France before 20 May. She was declared a total loss. |
| Emily | United Kingdom | The barque was wrecked in a typhoon at Madras, India. |
| Fourth of June | United States | The ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean before 16 May. |
| Friendship | United Kingdom | The barque foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Dove ( United Kingdom). Friendship was on a voyage from London to Valparaíso, Chile. |
| Gallinipper | United States | The 95-foot (29 m) trading schooner sank at the mouth of the Milwaukee River at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service. |
| George Horne | United Kingdom | The ship foundered 200 nautical miles (370 km) west of Kangaroo Island, South Australia before 2 May. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Adelaide, South Australia to Swansea, Glamorgan. |
| Grace Darling | United Kingdom | The ship ran ashore near Stavanger before 10 May. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Pillau, Prussia. |
| Hero | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on the Suadava Atoll. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta, India. |
| Hope | United Kingdom | The ship ran aground on the Florida Reef before 15 May. |
| Iona | United Kingdom | The ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean before 29 May. |
| John Whiteley | United Kingdom | The ship was wrecked on a reef near "Plymouth" before 10 May. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, New South Wales. |
| Joseph Yeoward | United Kingdom | The ship foundered with the loss of two of her crew. Survivors were rescued on 26 May by Champion ( United Kingdom). Joseph Yeoward was on a voyage from Callao, Peru to Liverpool. |
| Mahoning | United States | The 119-foot (36 m) brigantine went aground at the Grand River in Lake Erie on the coast of the Province of Canada. She was refloated and returned to service. |
| Plenty | United Kingdom | The ship was driven ashore on the coast of Sweden before 14 May. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Cronstadt, Russia. She was refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| Sarah | British North America | The ship was destroyed by fire at Digby, Nova Scotia before 12 May. |
| Savannah | United States | The ship was destroyed by fire at "Tyber". All on board survived. She was on a voyage from Savannah, Georgia to New York. |
| Star | United Kingdom | The schooner was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, Kent before 13 May. Her crew were rescued. |