HMS Looe
Frigate · Great Britain · Lost 1744 · The Florida Keys
A British Royal Navy frigate that ran aground on an uncharted Florida Keys reef in 1744, giving Looe Key its name.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Looe was a Royal Navy frigate on patrol in the Straits of Florida when it struck a previously uncharted coral reef in February 1744 while escorting a captured Spanish prize. The crew escaped the wreck, and the reef was subsequently named Looe Key in the ship's memory. Cannon and ballast from the wreck remain scattered across the reef today. The site now lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and is a popular shallow dive location.
Vessel
- 1741
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Royal Navy
Loss
- February 5, 1744
- Grounding
- Looe Key Reef, Florida Keys
- Straits of Florida
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Crew is understood to have escaped safely, but confirmed figures were not identified in the sources reviewed
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 5-30
- Scattered ballast pile and cannon remnants embedded in coral; little structural wood survives
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Looe Key, Florida Keys
General reef area is named for the wreck; a precise published position was not identified in the sources reviewed
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)
Precise crew size, casualty details, and construction dimensions are not established in the sources reviewed.
NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Loss date, location, and reef naming history
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources
Site archaeology and wreck condition
