The wreckage of the US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter Tampa has been located and confirmed by the British technical-diving team Gasperados. The site lies approximately 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom, at a depth exceeding 91.4 metres deep in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tampa was lost in 1918 during World War I after being torpedoed by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel. The vessel sank in less than three minutes, resulting in the death of all 131 people aboard — 111 Coast Guardsmen, four US Navy personnel, and sixteen British Navy personnel and civilians. This remains the largest single American naval combat loss of life in World War I.
‘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,’ says Adm. 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.’
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Wreck search
In 2023, the Coast Guard Historians Office was contacted by the Gasperados Dive Team regarding the Tampa. Over the past three years, the all-volunteer team conducted an extensive search for the wreckage.
Dr. William Thiesen, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian: ‘We provided the dive team with historical records and technical data to assist in confirming the wreck site. This included the archival images of the deck fittings, ship’s wheel, bell, weaponry, and archival images of the Tampa.’
The USCG is now developing plans for underwater research and exploration in coordination with its offices of specialised capabilities, historians, cutter forces, robotics and autonomous systems, and dive locker.
Picture: A historical photo of the US Coast Guard cutter Tampa (photo by USCG).
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