A British dive team located the wreck off Cornwall after years of research using historical records to narrow the search area.
The wreck of the USCGC Tampa, a U.S. military vessel lost during World War I, has been located more than a century after it sank, officials said.
The United States Coast Guard confirmed Wednesday that a British technical diving team, Gasperados Dive Team, discovered the wreck about 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, at a depth of more than 300 feet in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Tampa was torpedoed by a German submarine in September 1918 while sailing through the Bristol Channel. The ship sank in less than three minutes, killing all 131 people aboard, including 111 Coast Guardsmen, four U.S. Navy personnel and 16 British service members and civilians.
The loss remains the deadliest single combat incident for a U.S. naval vessel during World War I.
“When the Tampa was lost with all hands in 1918, it left an enduring grief in our service,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday said in a statement. “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.”
The Tampa had been deployed to Europe in 1917 as part of U.S. convoy operations supporting allied forces. Under the command of Capt. Charles Satterlee, the ship escorted multiple convoys and earned recognition for its service before it was attacked.
The search for the wreck began in 2023 after the Gasperados team contacted the Coast Guard Historians Office. Using archival records, including images of the ship’s structure and equipment, the all-volunteer team spent three years narrowing down the location before confirming the find.
“This discovery is the result of years of research and exploration,” dive team leader Steve Mortimer said. “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 Coast Guard said it is now developing plans for further underwater research and exploration of the wreck using specialized technology, including robotics and autonomous systems.