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The long-lost wreckage of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter “Tampa,” which represents the largest single naval combat loss for the United States during World War I, has recently been located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, over a century after its sinking.
A team of British technical divers, known as “Gasperados,” made the remarkable discovery approximately 50 miles off the coast of Newquay, Cornwall, UK. The ship lies at a depth exceeding 300 feet beneath the waves.
The dedicated volunteer divers embarked on a three-year quest to find the wreck, ultimately verifying their find with assistance from the Coast Guard Historians Office. This confirmation was achieved through a review of historical records, technical specifications, and archival photographs depicting the ship’s wheel, bell, deck fittings, and weaponry.
The “Tampa” met its fate on September 26, 1918, mere weeks before the conclusion of World War I, when a torpedo from the German submarine UB-91 struck it in the Bristol Channel.
An archival photograph of the Coast Guard cutter Tampa, which was tragically torpedoed by a German submarine in 1918, during World War I. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The devastating blast caused the ship to sink in under three minutes, leaving no chance for survival.
All 131 people on board were killed, including 111 Coast Guardsmen, four U.S. Navy personnel, and 16 British Navy personnel and civilians.
“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,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday wrote in a statement. “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.”
Tampa’s wreckage was recently located off the coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, marking the largest single naval American combat loss of life in World War I. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The doomed crew came from all walks of life to serve their country, according to the Coast Guard.
In 1999, 81 years after the tragic sinking, the crew members of the Tampa were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tampa was the largest naval combat loss in World War I. (U.S. Coast Guard)
This group included 11 Black sailors who became the first uniformed minority Coast Guardsmen to die in combat and receive the Purple Heart.
The Coast Guard is developing plans for underwater research and exploration of the Tampa site, coordinating with historians, robotics and autonomous systems and specialized dive teams.