Scuba diving experts explore Florida's Elbow Reef to search for clues about mystery wreck

A group of volunteer divers from the National Association of Black Scuba Divers has been working with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary this week to help identify a ship that is believed to date back to the early 1900s.

The team of divers headed to the marine sanctuary which is one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the United States to conduct underwater surveys and research that will help bring maritime archaeologists a step close to identifying the wreck that sits on a reef known as the Elbow.

The remains of the ship lie 25 feet deep on the reef six miles off Key Largo and until now the wreck has been called "Mike's Wreck," after the employee of a local dive operator.

According to Maritime archaeologists, the shipwreck could be the British steamship, Hannah M. Bell, which ran aground on Elbow reef over 100 years ago in 1911.

"Confirming the exact ship does more than give the site a name -- it provides a history and context with which divers can gain greater appreciation for our shared maritime heritage," explained Brenda Altmeier, the sanctuary’s Maritime Heritage Coordinator.

The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) is part of a larger effort organised by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify the wreck on Elbow reef as well as others within the National Marine Sanctuary System.

"Shipwrecks provide important links to our past," commented Jay Haigler, a member of NABS and volunteer science diver for NOAA. "By providing highly trained underwater archaeology divers to projects such as this, NABS is able to support maritime scientific exploration and foster a greater understanding of our shared maritime heritage."

Many vessels are believed to have been lost in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary because of the shallow coral reefs. The unidentified wreck on the Elbow sits close to other shipwrecks, the USS Arkansas and the City of Washington, and every year hundreds of visitors go scuba diving in Florida to explore the historic wrecks.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary covers an area of 2,900 square nautical miles and during scuba diving holidays, divers can discover colourful coral reefs, hard bottom, sea grass, mangrove forests, and thousands of stunning diverse marine species including sea turtles, dolphins, whales, butterfly fish, sharks, rays, lobsters and eels.

Key Largo is home to a collection of scuba diving destinations including the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Everglades National Park, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.