The emigrant ship Exmouth is wrecked off Islay (1847)

The emigrant ship Exmouth, sailing from Londonderry to Quebec, was wrecked off Islay in April 1847 during a storm. Sources indicate the vessel departed on 23 or 25 April, with a memorial citing a loss date of 28 April. The ship was well-provisioned, but the disaster resulted in significant casualties, with 108 bodies recovered and buried at Sanaigmore Bay.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Exmouth was a brig, classed as a snow in 1845, that previously worked as a whaler before operating as an emigrant ship between Londonderry and Quebec. Reports describe the vessel as being in a perfect state of repair, properly fitted for emigrants, and well-provisioned with suitable boats and life buoys.

Wreck. The ship was wrecked against the south side of the Isle of Islay in 1847 during a storm. The departure date is disputed between 23 April according to Lloyd's List and 25 April according to eyewitness reports, while a memorial cites 28 April as the date of loss.

Aftermath. A memorial dedicated to 241 Irish emigrants who lost their lives was unveiled in 2000. The text notes that 108 bodies, mostly women and children, were recovered and buried at Traigh Bhan, Sanaigmore Bay, Islay.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.