A U.S. Coast Guard vessel that vanished during a devastating World War I attack has been located by divers more than 100 years after it disappeared beneath the waves off England’s coast.
Coast Guard officials revealed Wednesday that the USCGC Tampa has been discovered approximately 50 miles from Newquay, Cornwall, resting more than 300 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The British technical diving group Gasperados confirmed the identity of the sunken cutter.
Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday stated that the bravery and sacrifice demonstrated by the Tampa’s crew exemplifies the service’s tradition of protecting America throughout every military conflict since its establishment in 1790.
“When the Tampa was lost with all hands in 1918, it left an enduring grief in our service,” Lunday said. “Locating the wreck connects us to their sacrifice and reminds us that devotion to duty endures.”
The vessel met its fate when struck by a torpedo from a German submarine while traveling through the Bristol Channel, according to officials. The ship went down in under three minutes, claiming the lives of everyone on board – totaling 131 casualties. Among the victims were 111 Coast Guard members, four Navy sailors, and 16 British naval personnel and civilians. This tragedy represents the greatest single loss of American naval lives during World War I combat operations.
The Gasperados diving team made 10 separate expeditions to potential wreck sites during their search.
“This discovery is the result of three years of research and exploration,” team leader Steve Mortimer wrote on Facebook. “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.”
The volunteer diving group initially reached out to the Coast Guard Historian’s Office in 2023 about the Tampa investigation.
“We provided the dive team with historical records and technical data to assist in confirming the wreck site,” Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian William Thiesen explained. “This included the archival images of the deck fittings, ship’s wheel, bell, weaponry, and archival images of the Tampa.”
Coast Guard leadership is currently working on plans for future underwater research and exploration of the site.
