The Tonquin, formerly the Inman liner City of Paris of 1865 and chartered to the French Government as a troop transport, sank off Malaga, Spain after colliding with another French steamer. The master and 23 of the crew were drowned.[6][7]
The fishing luggerKate, registered in Peel, and owned by John Tear and others, left Peel on the evening of 12 March heading to Kinsale to fish there, but sometime during the night was run down by the steamer Caledonian (United Kingdom some miles west of the Calf of Man. The crew of the Kate were Scotchmen, the majority of them being from Skye and unable to speak English. It appears that the Caledonian was bound for Silloth in Cumbria. The force of the collision was so great that the lugger sank in a few minutes, carrying down with her four of the crew. The remainder were picked up by the Caledonian and landed at Silloth. [8]
The 85 ton steamer hit the Low Lee rocks off Mousehole, Cornwall. With pumps working on full she sank just a few metres short of Penzance harbour, her captain's home town. Within six days bad weather had destroyed the wreck.[4]
The 193 ton brigantine was hit by the 2,983 ton P&O linerCathay (United Kingdom) at 2:50 am Thursday morning off Beachy Head, ]East Sussex. She sank within four minutes with the loss of her captain William Thomas Odell and his son William Penn Odell all of Newport, Isle of Wight. In addition, Henry Woodford of Newport, Ernest Adams of Newport and a passenger, John Kearley also of Newport were drowned. Three men were rescued; Fred Churchill of Sandown swam to Cathay and was picked up, James Wallace of Cowes and Henry Jennings of Landport were rescued by boats from Cathay. The Charles George was owned by the Captain's brother, Charles Odell.[9]
The Newcastle ship was carrying cotton seed from Alexandria to Portishead and was wrecked in Smith Sound, off the Troy Town maze, St Agnes in thick fog.[10][11] The master had thought his ship was to the west of, and ten miles south of the Bishop Rock.[12]
July
22 July
List of shipwrecks: 22 July 1885
Ship
State
Description
Unidentified
The yawlZephyr launched to the aid of a stranded schooner on the Lower Barber Sand by the crew of the Caister Lifeboat resulting in the loss of eight out of the fifteen crew.
The cargo ship struck Seal Rock in the Isles of Scilly, near the Maiden Bower after being caught in heavy fog, while travelling at normal cruising speed. The crew escaped and she broke up during the night of 4–5 January in heavy seas.[12]
30 December
List of shipwrecks: 30 December 1885
Ship
State
Description
a local cutter capsized off Yellow Ledges in the Isles of Scilly with the loss of one life, while on its way to the steamer Sussex (United Kingdom), which struck Seal Rock on 17 December.
^Leonard, Alan (2008). "Profiting from Shipwrecks". Picture Postcard Annual: 14–16. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ abLarn, R. and Larn, B. (1991) Shipwrecks around Mounts Bay. Penryn: Tor Mark Press.
^Corin, J and Farr, G (1983) Penlee Lifeboat. Penzance: The Penlee and Penzance Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
^Gibbs, C. R. Vernon (1957). Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean: A Record of Atlantic Steam and Motor Passenger Vessels from 1838 to the Present Day. John De Graff. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^"Fatal Collision at Sea". Manchester Times. No. 1443. Manchester. 7 March 1885. p. 5. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
^Isle of Man Examiner, Saturday March 21 1885, page 5
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