A British diving team has confirmed the location of a WWI-era US Coast Guard shipwreck off the coast of England, ending more than a century of uncertainty. The Coast Guard Cutter Tampa rests roughly 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, more than 300 feet below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface. The all-volunteer technical diving group Gasperados made the discovery.
The Tampa began its life as the Miami, launched in Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia, in February 1912. The 190-foot, 1,050-ton cutter was renamed Tampa in February 1916, honoring the Florida city where it regularly docked.
When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, Tampa was among six Coast Guard cutters chosen for overseas convoy duty. During the war, it safely escorted 402 merchant ships between Allied ports.
Tampa’s wartime mission ended in a three-minute tragedy
On September 17, 1918, Tampa departed on its final convoy. Nine days later, German submarine UB-91 fired a torpedo that struck the vessel in the Bristol Channel. The ship sank in under three minutes.
All 131 people aboard perished, including 111 Coast Guardsmen, four U.S. Navy personnel, and 16 British Navy members and civilian dockyard workers. The press release identifies it as the largest single American naval combat loss of the First World War.
There were no witnesses to the sinking. The submarine responsible remained unconfirmed until 1940, when UB-91’s logs were found in a German archive. The Tampa’s crew did not receive Purple Hearts until 1999, more than 80 years after the sinking.
Gasperados team locates WWII US shipwreck off England
The Gasperados dive team first contacted the Coast Guard Historians’ Office in 2023. Over three years, researchers shared archival records and photographs of the ship’s wheel, bell, deck fittings, and weapons to help confirm the wreck’s identity.
Dr. William Thiesen, the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Historian, said that historical and technical data played a key role in the identification process.
Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday said that the Tampa’s loss in 1918 left lasting grief within the service, and that finding the wreck reconnects the Coast Guard to the sacrifice of its crew. He added that the service remains committed to honoring their memory.
The Coast Guard is now building plans for underwater research at the site, bringing together historians, divers, robotics specialists, and autonomous systems teams. The WWI-era US shipwreck off England will now become the focus of a dedicated scientific and historical exploration effort.
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