EVER WONDER WHY IT’S CALLED LOOE KEY, AND NOT LOOE REEF?

Why is the shallow collection of corals about 5.5 miles south of Ramrod Key called Looe Key and not Looe Reef? Well, when the H.M.S. Looe wrecked there on Feb. 4, 1744, a narrow stretch of land was out near the reef. The captain of the Looe, a man named Utting, described the offshore islet as some 300 yards long and 100 yards wide.

The Looe in question was the fourth of six British ships of war given that particular name between 1696 and 1763. Captain Utting’s Looe was built in a Snelgrove shipyard in the London area of England. On Dec. 12, 1741, the Looe was launched on the River Thames. The ship was 124 feet in length and had a beam of 36 feet. A ship of war, it was armed with 44 guns.

The territories of South Carolina and Georgia at the time were under British control. La Florida belonged to Spain, and Spanish privateers had begun venturing into Georgia’s waters to attack ships flying British flags. In 1744, the H.M.S. Looe was sent to Charleston, South Carolina, to help protect the coastline and the Florida Straits.

While patrolling the Florida Straits on Feb. 2, 1744, Captain Utting spied through his glass a suspicious-looking ship near Cuba. It was flying a French flag. When the Looe approached, crew members observed a large oilskin packet being thrown overboard. The crew of the Looe was quick to scoop the packet out of the water and deliver it to Captain Utting. Upon its reading, Utting learned that while the vessel was flying a French flag, the ship was identified as the captured English merchant vessel, Billander Betty. The ship was being used for Spanish purposes by Spanish operatives.

In response, Utting assigned a crew to board and marshal the Betty while the Looe escorted the captured ship to Charleston. It was night two on the trek when the Looe sailed past the island recognized as Cayo Hueso on period charts and Key West today. Because of the nature of the environment, the Looe crew began dropping sounding leads every 30 minutes. Sounding leads were weights attached to lines that were dropped overboard to measure the water’s depth. Around midnight, on Feb. 4, after several measurements and satisfied that the ocean floor recorded a depth of several hundred feet, Captain Utting went below deck to his cabin.

As the ships navigated the narrow straits, the Gulf Stream gently pushed them in a slow westerly direction. Suddenly, the men on watch saw waves breaking over a shallow reef. An alarm was sounded. Evasive actions were taken. The Looe’s rudder struck the reef and broke off. The ship, unable to steer, was pounded by swells and beaten against the coral beds. The ship was taking on water. To make matters worse, a few minutes later, the Billander Betty struck the reef, too. 

The sailors aboard both ships were able to escape to a narrow spit of land. When the sun emerged over the Atlantic’s horizon, there must have been a mixture of emotions percolating among the 274 survivors crowding the thin layer of sand rising about a foot out of the clear turquoise waters. The survivors managed to salvage the ship’s auxiliary boats, 20 bags of bread, and 6 barrels of gunpowder. 

When a Spanish sloop sailed past the wreck site, Captain Utting ordered three boats manned with armed marines to capture the ship at all costs. No one came back that night. The sloop sailed up with the three boats in tow the following day. With the help of the captured Spanish sloop, every man stranded on the islet would sail away to safety. 

The wrecked H.M.S. Looe left an indelible mark on the Florida Reef. The little spit of land where the sailors of the Looe and the Billander Betty sought refuge has long since washed away and disappeared into the ocean. However, the name Looe Key is still used to identify the shallow reef system which, on Saturday, July 10, will be home to one of the quirkier festivals found in the Florida Keys, The Looe Key Underwater Music Festival. First conceived in 1985, the festival is an effort to educate as well as entertain. Coral reefs are important biological and ecological marvels and not merely beacons for divers, snorkelers, and the coffers of the tourism industry. As such, in addition to the four hours of commercial-free music played through underwater speakers out at the reef, recorded public service announcements from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary promoting diver etiquette and coral reef awareness are broadcast. The event is simulcast live on the radio and streamed over the internet worldwide from U.S. 1 Radio, 104.1 FM. 

Brad Bertelli
Brad Bertelli
Brad Bertelli is an author, speaker, Florida Keys historian, and Honorary Conch who has been writing about the local history for two decades. Brad has called the Florida Keys home since 2001. He is the author of eight books, including The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files, a book of historical fiction that blends two of his favorite subjects, the local history and Florida’s Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape. His latest book, Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume 1, shares fascinating glimpses into the rich and sometimes surprising histories of the Florida Keys. To satisfy your daily history fix, join his Facebook group Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli.

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