Shipwrecks of Ireland

• La Juliana · 1588 · Streedagh Strand · Sligo
  A Spanish Armada ship driven ashore at Streedagh Strand in autumn 1588; her wreck was found by divers in 1985 and identified from her bronze cannon.
• Streedagh Armada wrecks · 1588 · Streedagh beach · Sligo · over a thousand lost
  Three large Spanish Armada ships anchored off Streedagh were driven ashore by a storm; the survivor Francisco de Cuellar wrote that over a thousand drowned.
• Greyhound · 12 December 1770 · Streedagh Point · Sligo · 20 lost
  A Whitby coastal trader on her way from Galway was driven ashore at Streedagh Point in a storm; 20 of the 21 on board drowned.
• Rockingham · 23 December 1775 · Reannie's Bay, near the Cove of Cork · Cork
  Carrying soldiers of the 32nd Regiment, she mistook Robert's Cove for Cork Harbour in a gale and was driven ashore; the master, crew and about ninety passengers drowned.
• Surveillante · 1796 · Bantry Bay · Cork
  A French frigate of the Expédition d'Irlande, badly damaged in a storm and unfit to return to France, she was scuttled in Bantry Bay.
• Suffisante · 25 December 1803 · off Spike Island, Cork Harbour · Cork · 10 lost
  The Royal Navy sloop grounded in a violent gale in Cork Harbour and sank; seven of the crew drowned and a falling mast killed three more.
• Britannia · 11 February 1806 · the Cove at Cork · Cork · 12 lost
  A crew member carrying a candle into the powder magazine caused an explosion that destroyed her stern and sank her in Cork Harbour; 12 people died.
• Rochdale and Prince of Wales · 19 November 1807 · Dublin Bay, at Blackrock and Seapoint · Dublin
  Two troop ships leaving Dublin were driven onto the rocks in a gale and snow; 120 soldiers drowned from Prince of Wales and all 265 aboard Rochdale were lost.
• HMS Saldanha · 4 December 1811 · Ballymastocker Bay, Lough Swilly · Donegal
  The frigate was wrecked in a storm in Lough Swilly with no human survivors; about 200 bodies washed ashore, and a dog and a parrot were the only survivors.
• Irlam · 10 May 1812 · Tuskar Rock · Wexford · 4 lost
  Sailing from Barbados to Liverpool with sugar and cotton, she was wrecked on Tuskar Rock in thick haze; a woman, two children and a crewman drowned.
• St. Patrick · 24 November 1831 · off Hook Tower · Wexford · 0 lost
  The Cork–Waterford steam packet grounded on a sand bar in dense fog off Hook Tower at the end of her voyage; crew and passengers were saved.
• Cicero · 21 September 1832 · River Shannon at Limerick · Limerick
  On a voyage from Limerick to Quebec, she ran aground in the River Shannon at Limerick, capsized and was condemned.
• Royal Canal night boat Longford · 25 November 1845 · Royal Canal near Clonsilla · Dublin · 15 lost
  The night boat from Dublin to Longford was steered into the rocky canal bank, tipped, took on water and sank; 15 of the 54 on board died.
• Stephen Whitney · 10 November 1847 · West Calf Island · Cork · 92 lost
  The passenger sailing ship struck the western tip of West Calf Island at night and broke up within about ten minutes; 92 of the 110 aboard died.
• Edmond · 19 November 1850 · Kilkee Bay · Clare · 98 lost
  Sailing from Limerick during the Famine, the ship was driven back by a storm onto the rocks in Kilkee Bay; 98 of the 216 aboard died.
• PS Queen Victoria · 15 February 1853 · below the Baily Lighthouse, Howth Head · Dublin · approximately 83 lost
  Arriving from Liverpool at night, the paddle steamer struck Howth Head and sank within 15 minutes near the Baily Lighthouse; approximately 83 passengers and crew died.
• RMS Tayleur · 21 January 1854 · Lambay Island · Dublin
  Two days into her maiden voyage to Melbourne, she ran aground in fog and storm on Lambay Island and sank; of more than 650 aboard, only 280 survived.
• SS Cambria · 19 October 1870 · Tor Beg rock, near Inishtrahull · Donegal · 178 lost
  Inbound from New York in heavy seas, she struck Tor Beg rock north-west of Inishtrahull at night; 178 lives were lost and only one passenger survived.
• Loch Sunart · 13 January 1879 · Skullmartin Rock, Ballywalter Bay · Down · 0 lost
  Outbound from Glasgow to Melbourne with emigrants, the sailing ship grounded on Skullmartin Rock off the Ards Peninsula, without loss of life.
• PS Eleanor · 27 January 1881 · Leestone Point, Kilkeel · Down
  The railway company's paddle steamer ran aground at Leestone Point near Kilkeel in dense fog, and gales in the following weeks ended attempts to salvage her.
• HMS Wasp · 22 September 1884 · Tory Island · Donegal · 52 lost
  The gunboat ran onto a reef off Tory Island and sank within fifteen minutes, before her boats could be launched; 52 of her crew drowned.
• Fulmar · 30 January 1886 · off Kilkee · Clare
  The coal ship, carrying a crew of 17 from Troon, is believed to have foundered in a gale off Kilkee; her wreckage was found near the town.
• Inishtrahull · 1894 · off Kilkee · Clare
  Carrying coal from Glasgow to Limerick, she foundered in heavy gales near Kilkee between 28 and 29 December 1894.
• Kingstown lifeboat disaster · 24 December 1895 · off Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) · Dublin · 15 lost
  The Kingstown No. 2 lifeboat capsized in a severe storm while going to the aid of the barque Palme, which was dragging her anchor; all fifteen crew were lost.
• HMS Lee · 5 October 1909 · off Blacksod Bay · Mayo
  The Royal Navy destroyer was wrecked off Blacksod Bay on the west coast of Ireland.
• HMS Audacious · 27 October 1914 · off Tory Island · Donegal
  The dreadnought struck a mine off Tory Island; her crew were all rescued before she capsized and exploded, but a petty officer on a nearby cruiser was killed.
• HMS Viknor (RMS Atrato) · 13 January 1915 · off Tory Island · Donegal · 295 lost
  Serving as the armed merchant cruiser HMS Viknor, she sank with all hands in heavy seas off Tory Island, thought to have struck a German mine.
• RMS Lusitania · 7 May 1915 · off the Old Head of Kinsale · Cork · about 1,198 lost
  The Cunard liner was torpedoed by U-20 about 11 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale and sank in about 18 minutes; 1,198 of the 1,960 aboard perished.
• SS Iberian · 30 July 1915 · south-west of Fastnet Rock · Cork · 7 lost
  The cargo steamer was torpedoed by U-28 about 9 nautical miles south-west of Fastnet Rock and sank stern first; seven of her crew died.
• SM U-68 · 22 March 1916 · off Dingle · Kerry · 38 lost
  Six days into her first patrol, the U-boat was sunk by the British Q-ship Farnborough off Dingle with the loss of all 38 men.
• SS Libau (Aud) · 21 April 1916 · outside Cork Harbour, near Daunt Rock · Cork
  Disguised as the Norwegian Aud and carrying arms for the Easter Rising, she was cornered by Royal Navy destroyers and scuttled by her German crew.
• SS Connemara · 3 November 1916 · entrance to Carlingford Lough · Louth · 97 lost
  The steamer collided with the collier Retriever at the entrance to Carlingford Lough and both sank; 97 people died and a fireman on Retriever was the only survivor.
• Alondra · 29 December 1916 · Kedge Rock, Baltimore · Cork · 17 lost
  The ship ran aground on Kedge Rock off Baltimore; sixteen crew drowned in a lifeboat and another died on board, while 23 were rescued.
• SS Laurentic · 25 January 1917 · just north of Lough Swilly · Donegal · 354 lost
  Carrying about 43 tons of gold, she struck two mines just north of Lough Swilly; 354 men died, many of hypothermia in the lifeboats.
• RMS Laconia · 25 February 1917 · north-west of Fastnet · Cork · 12 lost
  Returning from the United States, the Cunard liner was torpedoed twice by U-50 six nautical miles off Fastnet and sank; six passengers and six crew were killed.
• HMS Thrush · 11 April 1917 · off Glenarm · Antrim
  The former gunboat, which had helped rescue survivors from the sunken submarine K13 that January, was wrecked off Glenarm in a snow storm.
• SS Athenia · 16 August 1917 · north of Inishtrahull · Donegal · 15 lost
  The Donaldson liner was torpedoed by U-53 seven miles north of Inishtrahull and sank, with the loss of 15 crew and passengers and 440 horses.
• SS Minnehaha · 7 September 1917 · off the Fastnet · Cork · 43 lost
  The Atlantic Transport liner was torpedoed by U-48 off the Fastnet and sank within four minutes, with 43 fatalities.
• HMS Drake · 2 October 1917 · Church Bay, Rathlin Island · Antrim · 18 lost
  The armoured cruiser was torpedoed by U-79 and capsized in shallow water in Church Bay, Rathlin Island, with the loss of eighteen lives.
• HMY Kethailes · 11 October 1917 · near the Blackwater Lightship · Wexford · 17 lost
  The armed yacht was accidentally rammed by the troop ship Leicestershire near the Blackwater Lightship off the Wexford coast; 17 of her crew were killed.
• RMS Andania · 27 January 1918 · off Rathlin Island · Antrim · 7 lost
  The Cunard liner was torpedoed by U-46 two miles from Rathlin East lighthouse and sank after a few hours; passengers were saved but seven crew were killed.
• RMS Amazon · 15 March 1918 · north of Malin Head · Donegal · 0 lost
  Zigzagging off County Donegal, the liner was torpedoed by U-110 and sank in 15 minutes; HMS Moresby rescued all her passengers and crew.
• SS Justicia · 20 July 1918 · north-west of Malin Head · Donegal · 10 or 16 lost
  The troop ship was hit by six torpedoes from two U-boats and sank the next day; her wreck lies 21 nautical miles north-west of Malin Head.
• RMS Leinster · 10 October 1918 · east of the Kish light · Dublin · at least 564 lost
  The Kingstown–Holyhead mailboat was torpedoed by UB-123 just outside Dublin Bay; researchers believe at least 564 died, the largest loss of life in the Irish Sea.
• Rudyard Kipling · 16 September 1939 · west of Clare Island
  The Fleetwood trawler was captured 40 miles west of Clare Island by U-27, which took off her crew and sank her with scuttling charges.
• ST Leukos · 9 March 1940 · off the north coast of Ireland · 11 lost
  The Irish trawler was sunk off the north coast of Ireland by a German U-boat; all 11 crew were lost.
• SS Empire Adventure · 23 September 1940 · north-west of Rathlin Island · 21 lost
  Torpedoed by U-138 north-west of Rathlin Island, the cargo ship was taken in tow but sank two days later; 21 of her 39 crew were killed.
• U-260 · 12 March 1945 · south of Ireland · 0 lost
  After mine damage, the U-boat was scuttled south of neutral Ireland; her crew of five officers and 48 men were interned in Ireland for the rest of the war.
• SS Georgetown Victory · 30 April 1946 · Killard Point, near Ballyhornan · Down
  Carrying 1,400 troops from Sydney to Glasgow, she ran aground at near top speed just south of Killard Point; winter storms later broke the wreck in two.
• MV Princess Victoria · 31 January 1953 · off the Copeland Islands · Down · 135 lost
  The car ferry from Stranraer sank in the North Channel in a severe storm, her last position near the Copeland Islands; 135 people died and 44 survived.
• MV Plassy · 8 March 1960 · Finnis Rock, Inisheer · Galway · 0 lost
  Caught in a severe storm, the cargo ship ran onto Finnis Rock on Inisheer; islanders rescued the whole crew by breeches buoy, and the wreck remains ashore.
• MV Ranga · 11 March 1982 · Dunmore Head, Dingle peninsula · Kerry · 0 lost
  On her maiden voyage from Vigo to Reykjavík, the cargo ship lost power in a storm and was wrecked at Dunmore Head; her fifteen crew were rescued.
• Samson · 12 December 1987 · Rams Head, Ardmore · Waterford
  The crane barge ran aground at Rams Head, Ardmore; pollutants were removed but the wreck was never salvaged and remains in place.
• Tullaghmurray Lass · 14 February 2002 · after leaving Kilkeel Harbour · 3 lost
  The Kilkeel prawn boat failed to return; an inquest found a gas explosion sank her, killing a man, his son and his grandson.
• MV Alta · 16 February 2020 · near Ballycotton · Cork
  Abandoned in the Atlantic in 2018, the ship later washed ashore and ran aground near Ballycotton during Storm Dennis; her hull has since split in two.

The National Monuments Service keeps a record of every known wreck in the Republic's waters. By century of loss:

A further 2,190 records give no year. Source: Wreck Inventory of Ireland, data.gov.ie ↗.

The wrecks listed are those with their own article in Wikipedia's Shipwrecks of Ireland ↗ and Northern Ireland categories, lost at or near the coast; each summary and figure is from that article, and a county is given only where the article places the loss off a named place in it. Losses far out to sea are left out.

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