An elevated port bow view of the passenger/cargo ship Suffolk (1881) on the rocks below the cliffs of Lizard Point. The ship has broken in half behind the bridge and the stern section has fallen to starboard with the sea washing over the deck. The foremast has broken but is still held upright by the rigging. There are a small number of cattle on the forecastle deck. A small steamer is at anchor in the middle distance. The ship is framed by the cliff face rocks on either side of the image.

The Suffolk left Baltimore on 14 September 1886 for passage to London but ran into heavy rain and poor visibility off the Scilly Isles on 28 September. The captain had set a course he believed would keep him clear of The Lizard but the ship ran ashore at old Lizard Head doing about six knots. The crew and two passengers were rescued. The cargo consisted of 161 cattle (steers) of which 26 survived, flour, wheat, tobacco and walnut logs amongst other cargoes. The ship broke its back on the evening of 29 September and broke up and capsized on 1 October 1886