The List of shipwrecks of Cornwall (1881–1890) lists the ships which sank on or near the coasts of mainland Cornwall in that period. The list includes ships that sustained a damaged hull, which were later refloated and repaired.
1881 January 4 January – the 200-ton Newcastle steamer Active () struck the Stag Rocks off Lizard Point while bound for Caen with coal from Neath. 17 January – the Porthleven dandy Enterprise () went ashore on Clodgy Point, St Ives. The crew were taken off by the steamer Gwent before the dandy went ashore. 17 January – the schooner Rosa Joseph () went ashore at St Ives while taking coal from Briton Ferry to Cherbourg. 21 January – 89-ton Penzance schooner British Lady () lost her mast in a gale and sank near the Runnelstone. Her crew was picked up by the Queen of the Bay.
February 13 February – the Nantes brigantine Sylphide () foundered and became a total wreck on the beach at Perranuthnoe while bound from Audierne to Cardiff with a cargo of potatoes. The crew were saved by the Prussia Cove rocket appartatus. 13 February – the Searsport, Maine barque T F Whiton (), bound for London from Victoria, Vancouver Island with a mixed cargo of oil, tinned fish, wool, etc., foundered at Praa Sands. The crew were saved by the Prussia Cove rocket appartatus and the ship became a total loss after it caught fire. Two local men were fined for stealing some of the ship's cargo; tins of pickled salmon. 22 February – the Port Madoe schooner Georgina () ran ashore on the rocks off Porthoustock. The crew attracted attention by lighting a tar-barrel and the ship and cargo of railway sleepers was destroyed. The crew were rescued by the Porthoustock lifeboat. undated – the Rocket Brigade ″shewn alacrity″ last week to reach the scene of the wreck in Hoblyn's Cove, St Agnes.
March 2 March – the Croisec vessel Cecilie Caroline () left Charlestown with china clay for Nantes. She was driven ashore, a few hours after she left port, at nearby Apple-tree. The five crew lost their lives. 3 March – a brigantine carrying pitwood for Port Talbot went ashore at Mevagissey. Two of the crew drowned. Her cargo was sold for £27 and the hull for £8 10s.
April 9 April – the Guernsey schooner Speed sank after a collision with an unknown steamer off the Longships. Speed was carrying salt from Runcorn to Jersey and the surviving crew were picked up by the Victua and landed at Plymouth. 17 April – the 99-ton Padstow schooner Katie (), carrying starch from Norwich to Dublin, struck the Runnelstone and sank with no loss of life. 21 April – the crew of the Ellen Vair were taken off and landed in Newport, when she collided with the Gertrude off The Lizard.
June 6 June – the 222-ton steamer Seine (), while in ballast from Plymouth to Neath, sank immediately after being hit by the 1,058-ton steamer Prado off Godrevy Head. Prado landed the crew at Falmouth.
July 3 July – the schooner Glen () collided with the screw-steamer Alliance off St Ives and foundered. The crew were landed at Penarth on board the alliance.
October 24 October – the schooner Victoria () was a total wreck in Newlyn harbour during a storm. Onboard was ten tons of coal and fifteen tons of ballast 30 October – a hulk with more than 500 tons of coal on board sank in Falmouth harbour.
November 1 November – the Regniville schooner Sophie () was wrecked and went to pieces on Battery Point, Prussia Cove with the loss of all the crew.
December 8 December – the barque Malaleel () hit the Shark's Fin, the northernmost rock of the Longships reef and became a total wreck. She was carrying pitwood for the collieries in South Wales from Bordeaux. Wreckage was washed up below the Levant mine and in Portheras Cove. 17 December – the Swansea three-masted schooner Constance () bound for Santander, Spain from Newport, with coal, grounded at the entrance to the Hayle River and became a total wreck. The crew and pilots were taken off by the Hayle lifeboat Isis.
1882 February 15 February – the steamer Rosebud () carrying coal from Newport to Lisbon, collided with the Lady Olive south of the Longships. Four crew lost their lives. 23 February – the Hamburg brigantine Auguste () ran ashore in Whitsand Bay and became a total wreck. All the crew survived. April 29 April – the 89-ton Drumhendry () was driven ashore in St Ives Bay under Wheal Lucy. The steamer was carrying dynamite from Ireland to Hayle. The crew were hauled ashore on a rope and the captain and mate were picked up by the Hayle lifeboat. June 9 June – 3200-ton emigrant steamer the Mosel () of Bremen wrecked underneath the Lloyds Signal Station near Lizard Point in fog. Falmouth tugs took the passengers off and they made their way to Liverpool by train. She also carried a cargo of materials including velvet and it was said these were hidden in every chimney and within every gorse bush in the parish with one black velvet coat still being worn in the village in 1930. It was also said that much of her cargo was salvaged, and was auctioned at Falmouth Docks on 29 August 1882. 23 June – the Vic () no 3 Pilot Cutter based at Falmouth, was run down in the English Channel, by the steamer Rosina about off St Anthony Head. The six crew survived. October 7 October – the Aberystwith schooner Nive () sprung a leak eight miles south-east of Penzance and foundered while carrying pitch from Plymouth to Swansea. The crew of four landed at Penzance in the ship's boat. November 16 November – the Plymouth smack James and Elizabeth capsized and was driven ashore at Hellsmouth, to the east of Godrevy Head. 16 November – when attempting to help the crew of the schooner Susan and Elizabeth which was driven under the Black Cliffs, St Ives Bay in a gale, the lifeboat Isis ( Royal National Lifeboat Institution) capsized. No lives lost from either vessel. 16 November – an unnamed brig, disappeared and sank in a couple of minutes off St Ives Head, while attempting a run for one of St Ives beaches. 18 November – the 676-ton barque, Condor () hit the Vorses, rocks on the outer part of the Manacles and fell on her portside. The captain, first mate and nine crew put off in the ship's boat for the shore leaving five on board, who were rescued by two local cutters, just before the masts fell leaving all of the vessel underwater. 29 November – the Glasgow steamer SS St George () foundered from Portreath, while bound for Nantes from Swansea. Ten of the crew and the engineer's wife went down with the steamer. The eight remaining crew took to the ship's boat and capsized in the surf at Portreath with the loss of one more life. December 6 December – A steamer landed some fishermen from an unnamed lugger () which foundered while returning from the Newfoundland fishery. 7 December – the Padstow schooner Edith (), lying at anchor, was struck by the Excelsior and sank about 3 cables from Carrick Nath Point. 7 December – the Cowes vessel Helen () collided with the Hayle schooner Giles Lang and was abandoned off the Lizard. The crew were saved by the Giles Lang. 7 December – the crew abandoned the Fleetwood schooner, Matthew Wignall () after being hit by the barquentine Fonthill, 8 to 10 miles west north-west of the Longships. The five crew were picked up by the Fonthill. The abandoned schooner drifted ashore, bottom up, at the Gassick, between Sennen Cove and St Just. 7 December – the barque Sotir () grounded on a rock on the Kits Cairn, near Porthchapel. After 10 or 15 minutes the barque was carried out to sea by the wind and tide. Before the barque foundered, two local boats following the vessel, took off the ten crew and landed them at Porthgwarra. 15 December – The Beaumaris schooner Eilian Hill collided with the steamship Ernest in Mount's Bay and sank immediately. The crew were landed at Falmouth by the Ernest. 27 December – the Truro schooner Carvedras () sank about south-west of the Longships Lighthouse. The crew took to the ship's boat and were rescued by the St Ives lifeboat, about off St Ives.
1883 January 9 January – while bound for Dinan from Swansea, with a cargo of coal, the Guernsey registered cutter Spring was in collision with a schooner and suffered damage to her jib boom and stern. The Sennen Cove lifeboat Denzil and Maria Onslow ( assisted with her safe anchorage and took off the three man crew. 26 January – the Amsterdam brig Janna () struck the Manacles while carrying coal from Cardiff to the West Indies. The nine crew were landed at Porthoustock by the St Keverne boat Goodrievey Bay.
February 2 February – the Hayle schooner Storm Nymph () was driven ashore near the entrance of Newquay harbour. One member of crew jumped overboard and was not seen again, the rest were saved by the rocket apparatus. Storm Nymph was carrying coal from Cardiff to Hayle. 2 February – an unknown steamer sank off Cape Cornwall with the loss of all hands.
March 30 March – The Rye schooner Alarm was driven ashore near Polperro and quickly broke up. There were three survivors and the captain, mate and three others drowned.
April 4 April – three unnamed barges () owned by people from St Just were loading sand from Swanpool beach, Falmouth, during a strong easterly breeze. The barges were overloaded and unable to sail and became total wrecks.
September 1 September – Newport, Rhode Island registered barque G. I. Jones () carrying phosphate rock from Bull River, California to Falmouth, driven ashore at Stackhouse Cove in a SSW gale and quickly broke up. All thirteen crew were lost.Larn, R. and Larn, B. (1991) Shipwrecks around Mounts Bay. Penryn: Tor Mark Press. According to Treglown (2011) the captain and nine of his crew lost and two saved. According to The Cornishman newspaper the barque was owned by Messrs Jones Brothers of Newport, Monmouthshire and one crew and a boy survived. A pilot from Falmouth also died. Ancestry.com records shows the list of those who died in this shipwreck, and the total listed as D.W. (death by total wreck) was eleven. September – a ship's boat with the name Pensee-Augrey was found at St Ives on 1 October and wreckage was washed ashore. A body of a young man was found at Hawke's Point.
November 7 November – the Modina (), a coastal steamer from Cardiff became a wreck on the Manacles Rock, while attempting to pass on the landward side of the reef. Modina was carrying coal from Newport to Devoran
December 1 December – ketch Hope of Guernsey struck the Runnelstone. There was no loss of life. Unknown date – Storm Nymph () wrecked at Newquay. Unknown date – the Padstow smack Willie () ran onto rocks west of Portreath and became a complete wreck.
1884 26 January – the 381-ton barque Cviet () of Ragusa was deliberately run aground, 300 m east of Porthleven harbour, during a severe gale, in an attempt to save the lives of the crew. 600-ton of logs were salvaged and three of the crew lost their lives. 29 January according to Treglown (2011) The remains of the hull, sparrs, rope, sails and utensils were put on auction on 14 February and approximately £350 was made. 28 March – the Cunard iron-screw steamer Balbec () left Liverpool with five passengers and a general cargo for Le Havre, striking a rock about south-east of the Longships Lighthouse. With of water in the hold the captain decided to run ashore at full-speed; Nanjizal (also known as Millbay) was the nearest convenient place. There was no loss of life. The 774-ton vessel was sold by public auction on 5 April 1884 at Nanjizal followed by another auction at Sennen Cove of the rigging, sails, several lots of brass and copper, four ship's-boats, sixty hams, thirteen cases of lobsters, etc. 13 April – the steamship Lady Dalhousie () struck the Chynoweth rock, one of The Manacles, on Sunday morning while in ballast for Newport. She became a total wreck the following day.All the crew were saved. 7 May – the St Ives smack The Brothers () sank off St Ives Head with the loss of all six on board.