Over a century after her destruction, the wreckage of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Tampa has been found by the British volunteer technical-diving team Gasperados.
Tampa was torpedoed by a German submarine on September 26, 1918, resulting in the death of all 131 personnel onboard - the largest single US naval combat loss of life in World War I.
Her wreckage was located 108 years later, approximately 50 miles off the coast of Newquay, England, at a depth of over 300 feet.
Gasperados team lead Steve Mortimer first announced the discovery in a post to Facebook on April 26, with the USCG confirming the find in its own statement three days later.
“The discovery is the result of three years of research and exploration,” Mortimer wrote in his post. “Tampa is of huge importance to the United States and the relatives of everyone who died that day. Their final resting place is known at last."
Mortimer and his team had contacted the USCG Historians Office in 2023 regarding searching for the Tampa’s missing wreckage, USCG explained, adding that it had provided the team with historical record, technical data, and photos of the ships appearance and accoutrements to aid in finding the wreck site.
"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," said Admiral Kevin Lunday, commandant of the USCG. "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 had sunk in less than three minutes
Tampa, originally known as Miami, was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation in Virginia and launched on February 10, 1912.
After the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April of that year, Miami was assigned in 1913 to ice patrol duty alongside the USCG Cutter Seneca.
In 1916, Miami was renamed as the Tampa, in honor of the Florida city and its relationship with the cutter and crew.
Tampa was one of six USCG cutters assigned to escort convoys during World War I, losing only two ships out of 18 convoys. She earned a special commendation for exemplary service.
After detaching from her 19th convoy and sailing alone through the Bristol Channel toward the port of Milford Haven in Wales to recoal, Tampa was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-91.
She sunk in less then three minutes.
One hundred and eleven Coast Guardsmen, four US Navy personnel, and 16 British Navy personnel and civilians were killed.
In 1921, the USCG christened a new cutter in her name. On May 23, 1928, 10 years after Tampa sank, the USCG Memorial was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring those who had served aboard the lost vessel.