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The wreckage of the British vessel HMS Tyger from the eighteenth century was located by a team of National Park Service (NPS) archaeologists inside Dry Tortugas National Park in the United States of America.
Constructed in 1647, the Fourth-Rate, 50-gun frigate got aground on the Dry Tortugas reefs during a patrol during the Jenkins Ear War between Britain and Spain, and it was lost in 1742.
Although the historic shipwreck was initially discovered in 1993, more investigation has now produced conclusive proof.
“Archeological finds are exciting, but connecting those finds to the historical record helps us tell the stories of the people that came before us and the events they experiences. This particular story is one of perseverance and survival,” said James Crutchfield, park manager, in a statement.
The team’s findings were published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.
Lost during a crucial mission
During the Anglo-Spanish War, sometimes referred to as the War of Jenkins’ Ear, British ships made landfall in the Florida Keys.
British vessel HMS Tyger was constructed in 1647 and underwent multiple configuration changes. Tyger was 130 feet long and 704 tons in weight in 1741. It carried twenty-two nine-pounders on the upper deck, twenty-two eighteen-pounders on the gun deck, and six six-pounders on the quarter deck.
There were 281 soldiers aboard, including 57 marines and 5 commissioned officers. Before seeing sails while on patrol between Cape Corrientes and Cape San Antonio, the ship and crew cruised near Cuba and Jamaica. They followed the Spanish into the Gulf of Mexico into shallower waters.
Reports describe the HMS Tyger to have run aground on January 13, 1742. The crew acted swiftly, lightening the ship. But their efforts were to no avail. Abandoning Tyger, they sought refuge on Garden Key, battled elements, built shelters, and crafted makeshift vessels. After a failed skirmish and burning Tyger, they voyaged 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica, enduring 55 days at sea.
HMS Tyger was the first of three British man-of-war vessels to go down near the Florida Keys. Archaeologists had located HMS Fowey and HMS Looe. Tyger was still missing.
Discovery confirms HMS Tyger
Archaeologists from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Submerged Resources Center, and the Southeast Archeological Center explored the site in 2021 using leads from historical research. They discovered five cannons about 500 yards from the main wreck site.
A passage that explained how the crew “lightened her forward” after the ship ran aground, momentarily refloated, and eventually sank in shallow water was tucked away in the margins of the ancient logbooks.
The weapons were identified as British six- and nine-pound cannons thrown overboard during HMS Tyger’s initial grounding based on their location, size, and attributes. Archaeologists were able to persuasively argue that the wreck, initially discovered in 1993, was, in fact, the remnants of HMS Tyger after this discovery and reevaluation of the site.
Although the site— now protected by cultural resource rules that apply to other sites within Dry Tortugas National Park— is regularly monitored, the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004 provides further protection should HMS Tyger be positively identified as a British Navy vessel. In compliance with an international convention, the British Government is the sovereign owner of the remnants of HMS Tyger and its associated items.
According to NPS, natural and cultural degradation poses a hazard to shipwrecks at Dry Tortugas. These hazards include major storms, erosion, illegal excavation, theft, vandalism, and bodily harm from surface activity. The NPS team is still investigating the location, its purpose, and the possibility of finding more archeological remains.
