Divers find WWI shipwreck century later, discover ‘final resting place' of 131 souls

More than a century later, the wreck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, sunk by a German U-boat, has been discovered.

Divers finally located the site, which was marked as the largest single combat loss of American life in World War I.

The divers, consisting of the British Volunteer dive team Gasperados, confirmed the discovery. The team stated that it was 50 miles off the coast of Cornwall, resting more than 300 ft below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

The discovery was made on Wednesday, April 29, marking the end of a three-year search which was described as “research and exploration” in ten missions.

Their “final resting place is known at last,” according to Steve Mortimer, the dive team leader.

On the night of September 26, 1918, the Tampa, which was sailing through the Bristol Channel to refuel in Wales, was spotted by German submarine UB-91.

The vessel was struck by a single torpedo, followed by a secondary explosion. Within less than three minutes, the ship vanished.

A total of 131 people died, 111 of whom were Coast Guardsmen, four from the U.S. Navy, and 16 British individuals. For well over 100 years, the whereabouts of the gravesite have been unknown.

At present, the Coast Guard is planning ways to explore more into the site using robots. “It’s our intention, if possible,” said Gasperados Team, “to ensure the grave will be considered just that, and treated with the respect denied for nearly 107 years.”