Maritime Monster All Jobs Moored Here
https://maritime.monster/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/uscgc-tampa-2-e99565-1.jpg
A team of technical diving enthusiasts have discovered the wreckage of the worst U.S. naval combat loss of World War One. The USCGC Tampa, a 190-foot oceangoing cutter, was lost with all hands in the English Channel in the closing weeks of the war; its wreck remained lost on the bottom – until now. Tampa was launched as the cutter USCGC Miami in February 1912, less than a year after the shipyard order was signed. With the onset of the U.S. entry into World War I in 1917, the Coast Guard was folded into the Navy command structure, and Miami received orders to prepare for convoy escort duty at the “danger zone” near the Strait of Gibraltar. At this natural choke point, German submarines would loiter in hopes of intercepting and attacking Allied merchant ships. She was repainted in slate gray and dispatched across the Atlantic to join this operation. Over the course of 1917-18, she escorted more than 400 merchant vessels to safety. On September 17, 1918, Tampa departed on her final Gibraltar convoy run. Nine days in, on September 26, the cutter began to run low on coal; the commanding officer requested permission to detach from the convoy and go refuel. Permission was granted on a second request that evening, and at dusk, Tampa departed alone – a vulnerable state for submarine-infested waters. German U-boat UB-91 spotted her silhouette, and at 2015 hours, the sub launched one torpedo. Tampa’s hull was blown open amidships, and a secondary explosion caused further damage. The cutter went down in less than three minutes, and UB-91 found no survivors when it surfaced to investigate the scene. Tampa wasn’t reported missing until the next day, when she failed to arrive in port; a search found her debris field. Three bodies were found over the course of the next several weeks, but the rest of the 131-member crew complement were lost at sea. Three years ago, a UK dive team calling themselves the “Gasperados” contacted the U.S. Coast Guard with a request. They wanted to conduct a search for the wreck of the Tampa, lost to time for more than 100 years. The USCG agreed to help out, in hopes of discovering new clues to a key piece of the service’s history. “We provided the dive team with historical records and technical data to assist in confirming the wreck site,” said Dr. William Thiesen, Coast Guard Atlantic Area historian. “This included the archival images of the deck fittings, ship’s wheel, bell, weaponry, and archival images of the Tampa.” The Gasperados launched an extensive search effort, and they discovered and confirmed the Tampa’s location at a position about 50 miles off Newquay. The water depth at the site is more than 300 feet, requiring technical diving systems to access. Stay on Top of the Daily Maritime News The maritime news that matters most Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily. Subscribe Now // Global validation function (only defined once) if (!window.validateEmailSignupForm) { window.validateEmailSignupForm = function(form) { const input = form.querySelector(‘.email-signup__input’); const email = input.value.trim(); input.classList.remove(‘error’); if (!email || !email.includes(‘@’) || !email.includes(‘.’)) { input.classList.add(‘error’); input.focus(); return false; } return true; }; } // Fetch fresh CSRF token for all forms (only once) if (!window.csrfTokenFetched) { window.csrfTokenFetched = true; fetch(‘/csrf-token’) .then(r => r.json()) .then(data => { document.querySelectorAll(‘.email-signup input[name=”_token”]’).forEach(input => { input.value = data.token; }); }) .catch(() => {}); } // Unique callback for this form instance window.submitEmailSignup_email_signup_69f2b49a5bc98 = function(token) { const form = document.getElementById(’email-signup-69f2b49a5bc98′); if (window.validateEmailSignupForm(form)) { form.submit(); } }; The Coast Guard is planning to do a follow-on voyage to explore the site on its own. It wants to deploy a well-resourced and fully-equipped research mission to the site, including autonomous and remotely-operated systems. “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,” said Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday.
Original article available on the page of publisher.
ARTICLE LINK: maritime-executive.com
