Irex was a sailing vessel wrecked at Scratchell's Bay on the Isle of Wight by The Needles on 25 January 1890, while on her maiden voyage.

[2] On 24 December 1889 Irex sailed from Greenock, bound for Rio de Janeiro, under the command of Captain Hutton,[3] carrying a cargo of 3,600 tons of iron sewerage pipes.

She sailed again, but the winds reached hurricane strength, and she attempted to take shelter in Falmouth on the 24th, but was unable to get a pilot boat to guide her in, so continued up the English Channel towards Portland.

As Irex approached the Needles, Hutton mistook the Needles Lighthouse for a light from a pilot boat, and drove his ship up onto the shore[3] at about 10 p.m.[4] Large waves broke over the ship, and the Captain, First Mate, Boatswain and a crewman were killed.

It took them two hours to secure a hawser, which enabled the 29 survivors from the crew of 36 to be winched by breeches buoy from the ship to the cliff-top.