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HMS Looe – Florida Trip.

April saw John Eckersall the Chairman of LBOA accompanied by Colin Tregear from the Looe Development Trust, being invited to visit the Harbour Cay Club at Marathon on the Florida Keys.

Both John and Colin, together with John Clarke of LBOA having spent several years researching the loss of the HMS Looe in 1744 off the Florida Keys, this lead to the publishing of a book – The HMS Looe Story – an account of the loss of this ship and a further 7 ships that have carried the name ‘Looe’.

On the site of the Harbour Cay Club – a private marina, part of the anchor that was recovered in 1951 by divers, has stood in a small garden unmarked.

So forty years on, John and Colin were approached by the President of the Harbour Cay Club to visit the Keys to present a commemorative plaque that would be displayed alongside the remains of this anchor.

With the plaque, a flight across the big pond, both to be welcomed at Miami and then by car down the Keys to Marathon for 5 days of wonderful hospitality.

On the 8^th April, a service of dedication was held, attended by civic dignitaries, United States and Royal Navy representatives, the US Coast Guard and local historians, very impressive with the marina flag pole flying the Stars and Stripes, the Red Ensign, Florida State Flag and the Cornish Flag.

The following day, the US Coast Guards laid on one of their fast cutters to take John and Colin some 25 miles out into the Florida Straits to see the site where the ship was wrecked on what is now known as Looe Key, at an impressive speed of 57 knots, the trip was short!!

Sadly they had to leave, but relations have been well and truly cemented between the two towns, we hope to see next year some of the yachtsmen from Florida here in Looe.

Visit to Florida Quays

John Eckersall

Looe Harbour & River Clean-up

Saturday 5th April 2008 saw members of Looe Boat Owners Association spend the morning clearing up Looe Harbour and river in preparation for the coming boating season.

Following the efforts of the volunteers, a skip was filled with various discarded items.

‘The sheer amount of things collected was quite staggering’ said Dave Peat, Chairman of LBOA. ‘We found two bicycles, a shopping trolley, two road signs and a massive amount of clothing. We had no trouble filling the skip.’

Alistair Pearn of Norman Pearn & Co has been very supportive of the initiative and spent the morning on the clean up. He also provided a JCB to help collect the debris and at the same time, made a donation towards the cost of a CCTV system that LBOA are planning to help prevent boat theft.

It is hoped that another collection can take place in a few months time. All are welcome, including those interested in conservation and the local environment.

Abby Crosby from Cornwall Wildlife Trust took some of the pieces away to make a sculpture with members of Looe Community School, as part of the CWT marine conservation project.

River Clean Up

Looe Voluntary Marine Conservation Area

Abby Crosby Project Officer for LVMCA of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust gave a presentation to the LBOA meeting on 15th January regarding her work and plan of action for the coming year. More information about this will be included shortly. The photo below shows Abby with the Committee members.

HMS Looe

John Eckersall and Beryl Tregear (members) are currently researching the loss of the HMS Looe (circa 1741) in 1744 off Florida, and also the loss of the HMS Looe (circa 1696) off Baltimore (Ireland) in 1697.

Since 1696, there have been eight vessels bearing the name 'Looe' serving in the Royal Navy. All we can say is watch this space.

HMS LOOE - [1697 - 1943] Research.

Research continues into the histories of the eight vessels to carry the name 'Looe' that have served in the British Navy.

We are now in a position to visit the Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Public Records Office in Kew, both institutions hold a wealth of documentation in the form of Admiralty papers relating to the earlier vessels.

It is intended initially to research documents for two vessels, the first HMS Looe 1697 and the fourth HMS Looe 1741/1744.

The intended 4 day visit will be toward the end of October, when upward of 100+ documents will be scanned by Colin Tregear and John Eckersall, one of which it is hoped will be the crew list for the first 'Looe' which would have had a West Country crew including maybe some from SE Cornwall.

One important document that we now have a copy of, is the original builders line drawings of the HMS Looe built in Limehouse in 1741.

A recent visit was made to RAF St Mawgan where contacts were made with the US Navy who have offered their assistance in further research in Florida where artefacts from the 1741 vessel were recovered from the wreck site off Looe Key in the 1950's.

Beryl & Colin Tregear: John Eckersall
LBOA Members