Hannah M. Bell
Steamship · United Kingdom · Lost 1911 · The Florida Keys
A British steamer that ran aground on Elbow Reef in 1911 and was known only as "Mike's Wreck" for a century until NOAA archaeologists confirmed her identity in 2012.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Hannah M. Bell, a 315-foot steel steamer built in England in 1893, was loaded with coal bound for Veracruz when she ran aground on Elbow Reef off Key Largo on April 4, 1911. Salvage efforts failed as her holds filled with water, and waves broke the ship apart within weeks. For over a century the shallow wreck was known locally only as "Mike's Wreck," until a 2012 NOAA survey matched its dimensions and construction to Hannah M. Bell's historic shipping records.
Vessel
- 1893
- Ropner and Son
- England
- Steel
- 315 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- April 4, 1911
- Grounding
- Elbow Reef, off Key Largo
- Atlantic Ocean
- Veracruz, Mexico
- Coal
- Not established
- Casualty figures are not stated in the sources reviewed; the loss was principally a grounding and salvage failure.
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 25 ft
- Scattered shallow-water remains, broken apart by wave action after grounding
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Key Largo, Florida
Reported as roughly six miles off Key Largo on Elbow Reef; a precise decimal position was not located in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA)
Identification announcement, build details, loss narrative, cargo.
Identification narrative, dimensions, loss date, salvage failure.
