The *Sud America I* sank in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on September 13, 1888: 87 dead.

The Sud America I was an Italian steamer active along the transoceanic route between Genoa and South America. She sank in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on September 13, 1888.

In the early hours of the morning of 13 September 1888, the South America I, which set sail on 26 August from Montevideo and loaded with about 300 passengers, entered the port of Las Palmas, in the Spanish Canary archipelago, to carry out the operations of unloading and refueling . At 6 in the morning, while she was still at anchor, she was rammed by the French steamer La France, bound for South America. Due to the larger dimensions of the transalpine ship, whose tonnage was 4,575 tons, the Italian vessel was literally run over. The impact caused by the bow of La France opened a leak in the side of Sud America I which sank in half an hour at a depth of 15 metres. Despite being only 600 meters from the shore, 81 passengers, mostly Italian emigrants returning from Uruguay and Brazil, and 6 crew members died in the disaster [7] [8]. Many of those who perished were workers returning to Italy after long periods spent in South America. To prevent thefts and robberies during the journey, the emigrants used to hide the money earned over the years inside the belt or waistcoat. This precaution proved fatal in this case; many of the victims ended up being dragged down by the weight of the coins.