List of shipwrecks in 1878

The list of shipwrecks in 1878 includes some ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1878.

January

3 January

• Tocapilla (United Kingdom): The barque was driven ashore at Rhosilli, Glamorgan. She was later refloated.

25 January

• King Philip (United States): The 19th century three-masted sailing clipper was wrecked at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California after her anchor dragged and she ran aground in heavy surf.

28 January

• Wennington (United Kingdom): The Liverpool Ironship went aground and re-floated in the Bali Strait, Java. She left Samarang for Falmouth on 9 January, and as of September has not been heard of.

March

24 March

• Eurydice (United Kingdom) : The Royal Navy frigate capsized and sank off the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. 376 lives were lost.

May

9 May

• Confidence (United Kingdom): The Bristol ship sank after being hit by a tidal wave off the coast of Peru.

10 May

• Alarm (United Kingdom): The pilot cutter was run down and sunk in the Bristol Channel by the steamship Foyle (United Kingdom). Her crew were rescued by Foyle.

12 May

• Gipsy (United Kingdom): The schooner struck rocks and sank in the River Avon at Bristol, Gloucestershire She broke in two during salvage efforts, blocking the river until 17 May. Her remains were later blown up to clear the river.

15 May

• Dolphin (United Kingdom): The Hull ship sprung a leak at latitude 49, longitude 70.10. A bottle containing the ships position was found in Padstow harbour, Cornwall, along with the following message: Water gaining. Crew taking to boats.

31 May

File:SMS Grosser Kurfurst sinking.png

Großer Kurfürst.

• SMS Großer Kurfürst (Kaiserliche Marine) : The armoured frigate was accidentally rammed and sunk off Folkestone, United Kingdom. 284 drowned.

June

1 June

• SS Idaho (United Kingdom): The Guion Line passenger ship, on a voyage from New York to Liverpool via Queenstown, after delivering mails to Queenstown, ran aground on Connigmore rocks near the Saltee Islands. The Idaho carried 151 passengers and a mixed cargo of fifty-one horses, some cattle and a 1000 tons of beef. She drifted off the rock and sank within twenty minutes, passengers and crew saved.
• Loch Ard (United Kingdom): The Loch Line owned clipper ran onto rocks in fog and sank at Muttonbird Island, Australia. There were fifty-two dead and two survivors.

24 June

• Hydrabad (United Kingdom): The Stephens and Sons owned iron cargo/passenger sailing ship caught in a storm and beached at Waitarere Beach, New Zealand. There was no loss of life.

30 June

• Lady Elizabeth (United Kingdom): The Wilson & Co owned barque ran aground and sank at Bickley Bay, Australia.

July

2 July

• Capital City (United States): The steamer caught alight while loading cottonseed oil at Memphis, Tennessee. Several lives were lost, and the river was alight 100 ft (30 m) from the shore and a ¼ mile downstream.

4 July

• Cosmopollis (New Brunswick): Went ashore during a snow storm and gale on Satten Islands, Cape Horn. The crew was stranded on the island for twenty-two days and were taken off by the French barque, Bacalan.

12 July

• Unnamed vessel (United Kingdom): The pilot boat belonging to Messrs Scott and Co of Queenstown foundered off Toe Head, Ireland with the loss of ten pilots.

• Unnamed vessel (Russia): The overcrowded passenger vessel foundered on Lake Onega, Russia with the loss of forty people.

17 July

• Europa (United Kingdom):The Anchor Line steamer collided with Staffa (United Kingdom) and sank near Ferrol, Spain.

23 July

• Ranneys (United Kingdom): Out of Seville, she ran aground off St Mary's, Isles of Scilly while awaiting orders. After twenty-four hours she refloated with the loss of her kedge anchor and hawser.

24 July

• James Service : Stranded on reefs approximately 7 miles (11 km) off the Murray River, Western Australia with the loss of all on board. She was bound from Calcutta to Melbourne carrying sacks, castor oil and jute.

28 July

• Dispatch (United Kingdom): The sloop capsized in Cardigan Bay, Wales. Her three crew were rescued.

• Lena Thurlow (United States): The Portland ship sank after a collision off the Banks of Newfoundland with the Harvest Hastings which was bound for Liverpool. All the crew were rescued and landed at Liverpool.

• Mercury (United Kingdom): The Newcastle steamer may have foundered when she sprung a leak near the island of Zembra, Tunisia. One crew member drowned and the fate of the rest is unknown. She was en route for Sligo from Ismail with maize.

Unknown date

• Scottish Admiral (United Kingdom): The barque grounded on the Maplin Sands near the Admiralty beacon, on her maiden voyage to Brisbane, with three hundred emigrants on board. (She left London on 11 July and a telegram reporting the grounding was sent on 20 July).

August

7 August

• Margaret (United Kingdom): The 77 ton Newquay, Cornwall owned ship foundered off Wigton, Cumberland with a cargo of coal from Ayr, Scotland for Waterford, Ireland. The crew of three was lost.

15 August

• Albert (United Kingdom): The Falmouth steamer ran aground at Bishop's Quay, Helford River, Cornwall. She re-floated two days later.

23 August

• Southport (United Kingdom): The barque was wrecked on Back Beach, Durban, South Africa. during a storm. The remains of the ship and the salvaged cargo was sold for £1,460.

28 August

• Pizarro ( Spain): The man-of-war was driven ashore during a hurricane at Bermuda.

30 August

• Unnamed fishing boat (France): The fishing smack sank off the pier at Folkestone, England with the loss of her twelve crew.
• Unnamed fishing boat (United Kingdom): The Berwick herring boat collided with a schooner and sank.

Unknown date

• Eos (German Empire): The brig grounded on a sandbank in the mouth of the River Thames and went to pieces. The seven crew were landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer from the fishing boat Catherine.

• Hendrika (Netherlands): The galliot sank after a collision with an American barque off Dover. All the crew were lost bar one crew member who jumped overboard and made it to Dover.

• Irene (United Kingdom): The Liverpool ship broke her moorings during a severe north-east gale and became a total wreck at Llandudno, north Wales. Three New Brighton registered vessels were also wrecked.

• Juliet (United Kingdom): The barque ran aground (in August or early September) on Staten Island while bound for San Francisco from London. One crew member died and the barque was a total loss.

• Norfolk: The schooner was thought to be wrecked on Corton Sands, Suffolk, with all hands lost.

• Unnamed boat: The pleasure craft was cut in two after a collision with the Prince of Wales steamer near Pimlico pier. Two youths lost their lives.

• Unnamed ships: Five ships lost in Table Bay, Cape Colony in the week prior to 22 August.

September

3 September

• Princess Alice (United Kingdom) : The London Steamboat Company owned paddle steamer was hit on the port side by the collier Bywell Castle off the City of London gasworks, Beckton, in the Thames Estuary. At least six hundred lives lost.

4 September

• Sully (France): The steamship ran aground at Port Eynon, Glamorgan, United Kingdom. She was later refloated.

6 September

• Beaumanoir (United Kingdom): The Liverpool brig was bound from Havana to New York with sugar when she struck the Florida Reef. The crew of ten took to a raft and five survived to be rescued by the Norwegian barque Esteraa ten days later.

12 September

• Bijon (United Kingdom): The yacht sank four miles from Dungeness in the English Channel during a squall. Her owner Count Metaxa]and his brother-in-law Claude White were picked up by the yacht Colon. The captain and mate (father and son) are missing.

13 September

• Democrat (United Kingdom): The steamer was ran aground in dense fog on the rocks of Langness Beg, near Douglas on the Isle of Man. She was in ballast between Lisbon and Glasgow. No lives lost. There was no trace of Democrat after she was washed away during a storm on 21 September.

19 September

• Wasp (United Kingdom): The crew of the foundered Lowestoft fishing smack and her crew were picked up Mary Ann.

30 September

• Ocean Belle: The cargo was saved when she went ashore at Chittagong, Bay of Bengal.

Unknown date

• Argyra (United Kingdom): The Salcombe brig was wrecked on the coast of Holland with the loss of the captain's wife and his two sons and a daughter. The rest of the crew were saved.
• Bengal: The Indian troopship went ashore at Zaxarana while towing the transport Citadel. The two vessels left Lanaren, Cyprus on 2 September via the Red Sea and were the last to carry Indian troops from Cyprus.
• Charlie H Down (United States): The barque was one of five ships reported to be wrecked at Tonala or Santa Anna, Mexico via news from Vera Cruz to the Lloyd's agent at New York.
• Crimea (United Kingdom): The barque was one of five ships reported to be wrecked at Tonala or Santa Anna, Mexico, via news from Vera Cruz to the Lloyd's agent at New York.
• Jenny Lind (PZ58) (United Kingdom): Went ashore near the west pier at Whitby in the North Sea, and was refloated by steam-tug.
• Lightcliffe ( Nicaragua): The barque was one of five ships reported to be wrecked at Tonala or Santa Anna, Mexico via news from Vera Cruz to the Lloyd's agent at New York.
• Maria Becker (German Empire): The barque was one of five ships reported to be wrecked at Tonala or Santa Anna, Mexico, via news from Vera Cruz to the Lloyd's agent at New York.
• Santa Roas (United States): The barque was one of five ships reported to be wrecked at Tonala or Santa Anna, Mexico, via news from Vera Cruz to the Lloyd's agent at New York.

October

3 October

• British Seaman (United Kingdom): The Preston brigantine collided with the Greek barque Anthippe and immediately sank in the English Channel, 15 miles south-east by east of Portland Bill. Only the ship's boat was saved.

5 October

• Earl of Devon (United Kingdom): The schooner was scuttled after breaking free of her moorings and drifting through the harbour at Penzance, Cornwall.
• Volunteer (United Kingdom): The Padstow schooner capsized in a squall outside of the harbour at Holyhead, Anglesey.

6 October

• Alexandre (France): The lugger struck the east side of Penberth Cove, Cornwall and broke up. The ships boat was washed ashore at Perranuthnoe, in Mount's Bay.

7 October

• Diana (United Kingdom): The Waterford steamship foundered off Portland Bill and was a total loss.

10 October

• Integrity (United Kingdom): The schooner lost her foremast and longboat in heavy seas off the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly. Carrying lime phosphates from Lisbon to Wicklow she found it impossible to manoeuvre in Smith Sound and drifted around Annet before being beached in Perconger, St Agnes. One of the four crew jumped overboard and drowned. Two days later she was refloated and taken to St Mary's.

17 October

• Ambrosia (Norway): The barque lost three masts and shipped water during an hurricane two days previous, and was abandoned in latitude 40 and longitude 45. The crew was taken off by the brigantine Ria, and landed on the Isles of Scilly on 20 November. Ambrosia was en route from Philadelphia for Bremen with naptha.

15 October

• Herman Ludwig ( Belgium): The Steinmann, Ludwig & Co owned ocean liner foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. She had departed New York on 28 September bound for Antwerp, Belgium and believed to have foundered on or about 15 October with the loss of all fifty passengers and crew.

18 October

• Daniel Lyons (United States) : The schooner was in collision with schooner Kate Gillett off Algoma, Wisconsin. There was no loss of life.

20 October

• Ferdinand (German Empire): The barque lost her foremast during a hurricane on 6 October and took on water during a gale on 15 October. She was abandoned on 20 October, in latitude 40.40 North and longitude 45.39 west, and picked up by brigantine Nelson. Ferdinland was bound for Swansea from Porto Cabello with copper-ore.

23 October

• Ely Rise (United Kingdom): The screw steamer in ballast from Cardiff to Savannah grounded on the Hats in the Isles of Scilly. There was no loss of life.
• Nora (United Kingdom): The Isles of Scilly vessel grounded on the Horsebank, off Southport while carrying pig iron from Ardrossan for Newport.

27 October

• Seventeen ships: Sank in the river at Philadelphia during a hurricane.

28 October

• Tokushima Maru: The steamer sank after gunpowder exploded, or a boiler burst, while the ship was off Tonda (reports vary). Eighty-three passengers and twelve crew or, fifty-six passengers and fourteen crew were killed on the ferry which carried passengers and cargo between Osaka and Awa.

31 October

• HMS Fanny (United Kingdom): The revenue cutter sank after colliding with the National Line steamer Helvetia off the Tuscar Light. Seventeen crew lost their lives.
• Providénce (United Kingdom): The Penzance brigantine went ashore on the edge of the Middle Cross Sand, Great Yarmouth and got off within ten minutes. The following morning, while being towed she struck the bar at the entrance to Great Yarmouth harbour.

Unknown date

• City of Auckland: The emigrant ship was wrecked at the entrance to the Cook Strait, near the village of Otaki, New Zealand. She was bound for Napier and Auckland from London.
• Express (United States): The steamboat capsized in Chesapeake Bay with the loss of sixteen of the thirty-one people on board.
• Morton: The schooner was abandoned in latitude 36 s, longitude 50 w, and all the crew were landed at Buenos Ayres.
• Vorobey (Russian Empire): The transport ship foundered off Soukoum while carrying shot and powder from Nicolaiff to Poti. Of the sixteen crew only the captain and one sailor was saved.

November

4 November

• Hercules: The Inman Line steam barge sank while leaving Morpeth Dock, Birkenhead following a collision with the City of Baltimore.

• Livadia ( Russian Empire): The Imperial yacht foundered in dense fog during a south-east gale and was wrecked on rocks on the coast of Crimea, in the Black Sea. The Grand Duke Sergius, his officers and crew survived.

6 November

• Fear Not (United Kingdom): During a storm the schooner went ashore on the bar at Hayle while being towed by the steam-tug North Star' and became a total wreck on Hayle Bar, St Ives Bay.

• Heligan (United Kingdom): The schooner sprung a leak and sank near Lundy while on a voyage from Cardiff to Gweek. Two crew drowned and two were picked up by a passing steamer.

12 November

• Jabez (United Kingdom): The St Ives fishing boat drifted onto rocks at Clodgy Point in a gale. Three members of one family, the Bassets, drowned and two fishermen survived.

13 November

• Carcand: The schooner ran aground off Isle Madame, Nova Scotia while out of Cape Canso for Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

14 November

• Bessie (United Kingdom): The Liverpool steam collier hit the western side of the Hayle Estuary and fortunately floated off and was carried by the wind and tide to the eastern side of the river. Bessie later became high and dry on Hayle Bar and her cargo and rigging were removed in an attempt to refloat her.

16 November

• Star (United Kingdom): The schooner struck Carn Morval, while leaving the Isles of Scilly for Cardiff. The Lady of the Isles towed her off and brought her into Hugh Town.

24 November

• Richmond (United Kingdom): The coal-carrying steamer was wrecked off Cape Finisterre.

• Royal Standard (United Kingdom): The Penzance schooner collided with the Austrian barque Ezio approximately 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Lundy. The crew, bar the ship's boy, were picked up by Ezio, and the Royal Standard was considerably damaged and towed to Ilfracombe.

25 November

• Pommerania (German Empire): The passenger steamer was in collision with Moel Elain (United Kingdom) and sank in the English Channel off Folkestone, with the loss of fifty to sixty lives.

29 November

• San Juan (United Kingdom): The brig (or barque) was hit by an unnamed steamer near The Lizard. Fifteen of the crew perished with only one saved when he was picked up by the steamer and transferred to a Falmouth fishing boat.

Unknown date

• Fifeshire (United Kingdom): The Thomas, Law and Co, Glasgow ship was lost off India. Only five of the twenty-two crew were saved.

December

1 December

• General Caulfield: The barque became a total wreck after running on to a sandbank during a heavy sea.

2 December

• Gypsy Queen (United Kingdom): The Glasgow brigantine stranded on St Alban's Head at Kimmeridge Ledges, Dorset while en route from Navassa, West Indies to Newcastle. Part of her stores was saved and landed at Poole.

9 December

• James Aiken (United Kingdom): Grounded on a sandbank off the coast of India approximately 50 miles from Madras. Sherefloated and reached Madras a few days later.

12 December

• (First report) Lady Hulse (United Kingdom): The Southampton barque, carrying coal from Cardiff, grounded off Callao, Peru.

15 December

• Leader (United Kingdom): The Swansea schooner was involved in a collision with the North Shields steamer Ben Ledi about 20 miles (32 km) north of St Ives, Cornwall. Four of the five crew of Leader survived and were landed at Falmouth, Cornwall when Ben Ledi put in for repairs.

• (First report) Unnamed ship ( Greece): The barque grounded, during and easterly gale, outside the bar at Sulina, Romania with the loss of seven crew.

18 December

• Byzantin (France): The steamer foundered during a gale, after a collision with the Rinaldo in the Dardanelles. Only fourteen of the crew were save, all the rest including 150 passengers were drowned.

19 December

• Bride (United Kingdom): The Hayle steamer bound from her home port to Cardiff hit Breaksea Point, Wales while a pilot was on board. She refloated the next day with little damage.

21 December

• Northam (United Kingdom): Sank after catching fire off the coast of Brazil. All the crew and twenty passengers were picked up by the Albion and an Italian ship.

24 December

• Penair (United Kingdom): The Portreath owned brigantine, broke her tow, and was driven onto the east bank of the River Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom during a gale. She was towed off on 30 December and it was found there was little damage to her hull.

25 December

• County de Pictou (Nova Scotia): While in ballast and en route for Sandy Hook from Barrow she foundered in a storm. The surviving crew were rescued by the City of London and set down in Havre.

31 December

• Minerve (France): The coal-laden schooner was wrecked on Morning Point Neck on the Garrison, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly. The crew were saved by the rocket apparatus and the vessel is a total wreck.

Unknown date

• Cornwall (United Kingdom): The steam-ship ran into rocks at Land's End. The keel was replaced at Falmouth by Messrs Harvey and Co.

• Emily Souder (United States): The passenger steamer was wrecked with only two surviving.

• Guisappenaaccame (Italy): The brigantine out of Baltimore with wheat foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Eleven of the crew were picked up by the Albatross.

• Unnamed steamer: Sank under the weight of snow on Lake Zurich, Switzerland.
• Unnamed steamer: Sank under the weight of snow on the lake at Zug, Switzerland.

Unknown date

• Alabama (United States): The paddle steamer caught fire and sank.

• Ana :The steamer was wrecked in Pendeen Cove, on the north Cornish coast, UK.

• Antonia Cane (Gibraltar): Three pieces of board collected by the Custom House Officer, Mr Huxtable, at Newquay, Cornwall on 28 October contained the words Antonia Cane and Gibraltar.

• Cambria: The quarter board of Cambria was washed up on the beach at Sennen.

• Dove (United Kingdom): The crew abandoned ship when they sighted Launcelot (United Kingdom) and were taken to Yokohama. Dove had been attacked at Threshold Bay and when the crew abandoned they were within 40 miles of Ambino, New Guinea, and the ship had 2 feet of water in the hold.

• Esther Smeed (United Kingdom): Off course, the Esther Smeed ran ashore on the Swedish island of Gotska Sandön in calm weather. While trying to refloat, a storm brewed and the ship went ashore a second time, filling with water and was abandoned.

• Kathline (United Kingdom): The body of the captain of the missing ship, Kathline was identified at Campbeltown, Scotland by three captains from the town of Newquay, Cornwall.

• Mary (United States): The schooner went ashore approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Detroit following a storm, during which she became waterlogged losing four of the six crew. She was carrying cordwood from Chicago.

• Onward: Wrecked on the Australian coast. One able-seaman and four Kanakas survived.

• St Enoch (United Kingdom): The Dundee clipper sailed in March with coal for Bombay and has not been heard of since. The crew of thirty-five plus the captain and his wife are lost.

• Southminster (United Kingdom): Wrecked and a total loss on Cape Campbell. The passengers, crew and mail was saved.