A German submarine commander saw the silhouette of a target in the evening sky off the coast of southern England and gave the order to fire a single torpedo.
This was the last public appearance of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tampa and its 131-member crew for more than 107 years.
Three minutes after a German torpedo hit the ship amidships, the Tampa sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, losing all her crew. This was the largest naval loss for the U.S. military during World War I.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard announced that a team of British divers discovered the wreck of the Tampa over the weekend in 300 feet (91 meters) of water about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the coast of Cornwall.
The wreckage was discovered by the British Gasperados dive team, according to its Facebook page. The team is a volunteer technical diving team that works with historians and researchers to uncover shipwrecks across the UK.
The team had been looking at Tampa since 2023.
“This discovery is the result of three years of research and exploration,” dive team leader Steve Mortimer said in a Facebook post. “Tampa is extremely important to the United States and the families of all those who died that day. Their final resting place is finally known.”
“The discovery of Tampa didn’t just happen last weekend. This was our 10th trip to dive a potential target, and everyone played a role: captain, crew, researchers, liaisons, divers. We’re still excited. We accomplished it!” another Facebook post said.
The Coast Guard said it provided the group with records and data to confirm that the wreck was the Tampa.
“This included archival and archival images of the Tampa’s deck fittings, helm, bell, and weaponry,” William Thiessen, Coast Guard Atlantic Area historian, said in a statement.
The Coast Guard history of the Tampa includes details of its final voyage.
On September 17, 1918, the ship began convoy duty in Atlantic waters. However, on September 26, the Tampa’s captain requested permission to leave the convoy, as he was dangerously low on coal to power his boilers and needed to refuel.
The commanders accepted the captain’s request and the ship headed for the Welsh port at full speed around 4 p.m.
At approximately 8:15 p.m., she was spotted by German submarine UB-41, which fired a lone torpedo. According to Coast Guard records, the torpedo explosion was followed by a secondary explosion, either from coal dust ignition or from the Tampa’s depth charges detonating.
When the ship failed to reach its destination, planes were dispatched to search for it and discovered part of the ship’s wreckage the next day.
On board were 111 Coast Guardsmen, four US Navy sailors, and 16 British nationals, including Royal Navy personnel and civilians.
Coast Guard members came from all walks of life and regions of the United States, including immigrants from Russia and Norway. According to the Coast Guard’s history of the ship, 11 of the lost crew members were black. They were the first minority Coast Guard members to die in combat.
“When the Tampa was lost to all hands in 1918, it left a lasting mark on our mission,” Coast Guard Commander Adm. Kevin Landey said in a statement. “The discovery of the shipwreck connects us to their sacrifice and reminds us of the dedication that dedication to duty endures.”
The Coast Guard said it is developing plans to further investigate the wreck using autonomous systems and robotics.
