U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ‘Tampa’ Wreckage Found Off U.K. Coast After 100+ Years

TAMPA, FL — The wreckage of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter “Tampa,” a World War I ship that sank off the coast of the United Kingdom more than 100 years ago, has been found.

The ship was found by the British technical-diving team Gasperados about 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, in the U.K., in Atlantic Ocean waters about 300 feet deep, the Coast Guard announced in a news release on Wednesday.

“Tampa” was lost in 1918 during World War I after being torpedoed by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel.

Initially called “Miami,” the ship’s name was changed after the “Tampa” participated in the city of Tampa’s Gasparilla festivities from 1913 through 1917, according to a U.S. Coast Guard pamphlet.

• Also Read: Sailor Whose Remains Were Found 81 Years After His WWII Death To Be Buried In FL

The vessel sank in less than three minutes, killing all 131 people aboard, which included 111 Coast Guard members, four U.S. Navy personnel, and 16 U.S. British Navy personnel and civilians. It was the largest single American naval combat loss of life during the war.

"Since 1790, the Coast Guard has defended our nation during every armed conflict in American history, a legacy reflected in the courage and sacrifice of the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Tampa," Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, said. "When the ‘Tampa’ was lost with all hands in 1918, it left an enduring grief in our service. Locating the wreck connects us to their sacrifice and reminds us that devotion to duty endures. We will always remember them. We are proud to carry their spirit forward in defense of the United States."

The Gasperados dive team contacted the Coast guard historians office about the “Tampa” in 2023, and over the past three years, the all-volunteer team searched extensively for the wreckage.

“We provided the dive team with historical records and technical data to assist in confirming the wreck site,” said Dr. William Thiesen, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian. “This included the archival images of the deck fittings, ship’s wheel, bell , weaponry, and archival images of the ‘Tampa’.”

The Coast Guard is planning underwater research and exploration of the wreckage.