HMS Lily
Sloop · United Kingdom · Lost 1889 · The Labrador Sea
A Royal Navy sloop ran aground near the Point Amour lighthouse in thick fog in 1889, sinking within sight of shore with the loss of seven of her crew.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Lily, a British naval vessel of about 720 tons, was steaming from Brig Bay toward Forteau Bay for a mail-ship interception when dense fog obscured the Labrador coast. On 16 September 1889 she ran aground near the Point Amour lighthouse in the Strait of Belle Isle. Seven crew members drowned in the surf close to shore before lightkeeper Thomas Wyatt and his assistants managed to rescue four survivors by line.
Vessel
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- 720
- Sail and steam
- Royal Navy
Loss
- September 16, 1889
- Grounding
- Near Point Amour, Forteau Bay, Strait of Belle Isle
- Strait of Belle Isle
- Brig Bay, Newfoundland → Forteau Bay, Labrador
- Not established
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- 7
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The Wreck Today
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Position
- 51.52° N 56.83° W
- Approximate position
- Point Amour, Labrador
Coordinates mark Point Amour; the vessel reportedly went down about 150 feet from shore.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
Build year, builder, and full career history of HMS Lily are not established in the sources reviewed; only the loss circumstances are well documented locally.
Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site
Loss date, cause, casualty count, and rescue narrative.
