HMS Loo
Royal Navy Fifth-Rate Frigate · Great Britain · Lost 1744 · The Florida Keys
A Royal Navy frigate hunting Spanish shipping off Havana wrecked on a Florida Keys reef that still carries its name.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Loo was patrolling the Straits of Havana during the War of Jenkins' Ear when it recaptured a British vessel taken by the Spanish. Sailing north with the prize on the night of 5 February 1744, the frigate was pushed onto a reef off the lower Florida Keys and wrecked. The crew salvaged what they could, captured a passing Spanish sloop, and all 280 men reached South Carolina safely. The reef, later named Looe Key, still bears a corrupted form of the ship's name.
Vessel
- 1706
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Royal Navy
Loss
- February 5, 1744
- Grounding
- Reef off the Lower Florida Keys, later named Looe Key
- Straits of Florida
- Straits of Havana, Cuba → Charleston, South Carolina
- Not established
- 280
- 0
- Ashby Utting
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Little of the ship's structure survives; scattered ballast and iron ingots documented on the reef.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 24.55° N 81.40° W
- Approximate position
- Looe Key, lower Florida Keys
Position approximated to the Looe Key reef the wreck is named for; the low sand island referenced in 1744 accounts has since disappeared.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
The extent of surviving hull structure and precise wreck boundaries are not fully established in the sources reviewed.
NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Loss narrative, date, cause, crew fate, and site background.
Vessel specifications and construction history.
