American officials have announced the discovery of the wreck of the Coast Guard cutter Tampa — a ship whose sinking was the deadliest U.S. naval combat loss of World War I.
In an April 29 news release, the Coast Guard said the vessel was found roughly 50 miles off the coast of Cornwall, the southwestern tip of the United Kingdom.
A British technical diving team called Gasperados found the wreck — which was at a depth “exceeding 300 feet,” officials said.
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In 1918, the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank within three minutes.
All 131 people aboard died, including 111 Coast Guardsmen, 16 British Navy personnel and civilians, and four U.S. Navy personnel.
“When the Tampa was lost with all hands in 1918, it left an enduring grief in our service,” Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement.
“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.”
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Officials said the discovery was three years in the making.
The Coast Guard Historian’s Office was contacted by Gasperados divers about locating the wreck in 2023, and the two worked together to confirm the site.
“Over the past three years, the all-volunteer team conducted an extensive search for the wreckage,” the release noted.
Looking ahead, the Coast Guard is planning further underwater research at the site.
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Multiple clues pointed to Tampa’s final resting place, said William Thiesen, a Coast Guard Atlantic Area historian.
Thiesen told Fox News Digital that, at the time, contemporaries recorded key clues about the sinking — including a U-boat commander’s reported position, accounts from Tampa’s convoy hearing an explosion and an aircraft spotting debris and logging coordinates.
“The problem was many of the bearings and locations noted had to be cross-referenced with wrecks on the sea floor,” the historian said.
“Until the Gasperados volunteered for the mission to find Tampa three years ago, the task seemed impossible.”
DEADLY SHIPWRECK UNCOVERED BY FORMER MILITARY PILOT WHO SPOTTED ONE HISTORIC CLUE
Thiesen added that the dive team dealt with low water visibility and poor weather conditions, as well as “very deep water.”
“There are countless wreck sites in that region to complicate the search process,” he said.
“Before finding the current site, the Gasperados located other wrecks believed to be Tampa that proved to be fishing vessels or other sunken wrecks. These obstacles seemed insurmountable, but the group pushed on for over three years.”
Researchers confirmed the wreck using detailed historical records — and Thiesen said the site is being treated “with the utmost respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and our allies.”
He added, “The Gasperados, who located the site, adhere to the strictest standards of respect for the wreck site and the losses it represents.”
“Any plans for the future will also be carried out with the utmost respect for the site and its integrity.”
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Thiesen also said the ship’s discovery “begin[s] the process of closing this tragic chapter in our history.”
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He went on, “To bring closure for the service and the families of Tampa’s lost crew is the greatest gift one can give. … The Gasperados dive team has done a great service not only for the Coast Guard, but to the nation — and we’re very grateful.”
