Yes. Accidental ship collisions are not something new. Ships are large objects that do not stop quickly. If the crew loses control and there is another ship In the way it is likely the two ships will collide with significant damage. Sailing ships, lacking an engine, are very difficult to slow down if the crew loses control. Even under control, if visibility is poor, such as heavy fog, it is very possible for ships to sail so close to each other that a collision happens accidentally.

Here are some examples for you.

The clipper Wild Ranger struck the Coleroon in 1862, was found liable and renamed Ocean Chief. In 1872 she struck a steamer near Rio de Janeiro and sank. The clipper Star of the Union struck the Simon Habley in 1866 also near Rio. In 1862 the clipper Northern Light, en route to NY from France, struck the Nouveau St. Jacques sinking both vessels.

Probably the most famous ship collision is the sinking of the Andrea Doria. The Andrea Doria was an Italian passenger vessel, seen sinking here. In heavy fog off the coast of Nantucket she was struck by the Swedish vessel Stockholm, seen here after the collision. Despite both ships having radar the collision still occurred. Fifty two people died as a result of the collision. The sinking took several hours and is well documented in photographs. Quinn's book has quite a few or you can google them. Here’s a NY times article on the collision.

Other references

Shipwrecks along the Atlantic Coast by William P. Quinn

The American-Built Clipper Ship by William L. Crothers