05/25/2026
Lost no more: Coast Guard Cutter Tampa
"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." - U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday
This Memorial Day, we solemnly pay tribute to the largest loss of life of any U.S. combat vessel during WWI. The Tampa was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the northern coast of Cornwall, England on Sept. 26, 1918. For over 100 years, Tampa’s final resting place lay hidden from view beneath 320 feet of water. Last month, the wreck was discovered by British technical dive team Gasperados, who worked closely with U.S. Coast Guard historians and other experts to identify Tampa’s location and confirm the wreck’s identify.
Recently, we spoke with William H. Thiesen, Ph.D., Coast Guard Atlantic Area historian, to learn more about the discovery.
Atlantic Area Public Affairs: Can you describe the incident for those unfamiliar with its history?
Mr. William H. Thiesen: Tampa was torpedoed by German submarine UB-91 after the cutter had separated from her convoy about 50 miles off the coast. The cutter sank instantly and all 130 crew and military personnel perished when she was lost. It was the largest US naval loss to combat during World War I.
AAPA: How involved was the Coast Guard in the search for CGC Tampa?
WT: Attempts to find Tampa began five years ago with underwater researchers. However, the search began in earnest three years ago with the Gasperados dive team. The Coast Guard has been involved since the beginning providing research materials, imagery, and ship design and construction information.
AAPA: Can you tell us how the Tampa was discovered and why it took so long to locate its remnants?
WT: It took so long to discover Tampa for a variety of reasons. First the wreck is located far out to sea in unsheltered waters at a depth reached only by machines or divers with mixed gas capability. In those waters lay hundreds of shipwrecks, and the tides, weather, sea state and poor underwater visibility all make access very limited. Also, the location of Tampa's sinking was not clearly known until recently. It took the divers years to dive various wrecks to determine their identity and check them off as non-Tampa sites.
AAPA: What will happen to the wreck now that it has been discovered?
WT: The site is a war grave and will be protected by law as all war graves are. Any future visits will be conducted in accordance with regulations set down for hallowed ground such as this.
AAPA: How many cutters have borne the name Tampa?
WT: There have been four cutters named Tampa, including today's 270-foot medium endurance cutter. Interestingly, the Coast Guard began naming small cutters for the lost Tampa crew members in the 1920s, but ran out of ships and had to end the process. The Navy named two destroyers for the cutter’s CO, Captain Satterlee.
AAPA: How difficult is the process of authorizing and presenting Purple Hearts? And why is it so important to the families of the fallen?
WT: In the 1990s, the Purple Heart Medal was authorized retroactively for all of Tampa's crew. It’s important to find the families of the fallen and honor them with this important combat medal and recognize the sacrifices that each family made when their loved ones died serving our nation. We've located over fifty percent of the Tampa crew members' families and I hope we find the rest so we may recognize them for their sacrifices.
AAPA: What is the enduring meaning of locating Tampa’s final resting place?
WT: The discovery of Coast Guard Cutter Tampa’s wreck site will finally bring closure to the families of the deceased and the Coast Guard, both of which have grieved her loss for over 100 years.
For more about the discovery, visit: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4472937/wreckage-of-us-coast-guard-cutter-tampa-discovered-off-cornwall-united-kingdom/
To read about Tampa’s legacy: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Portals/11/Headquarters/Remember_The_Tampa_080919.pdf?ver=ybZqGct_XCfH6FKl6ajHFw%3d%3d
U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Department of War Department of Homeland Security U.S. Navy
