Archaeologists working for the National Park Service identified that a sunken warship off the coast of Key West, Florida, was the HMS Tyger, an 18th-century British vessel that ran aground on the reefs in the region on January 13, 1742
The shipwreck, which was first discovered in 1993, was identified thanks to a 2021 discovery of five cannons found around 500 yards from the site. The scientists were then able to compare the details with historical records and concluded that the ship was the HMS Tyger.
“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 experienced,” said Park Manager James Crutchfield in a press release. “This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.”
The HMS Tyger was the first of three ships to sink in the Florida Keys, with the others being the HMS Fowey and HMS Looe.
Researchers believe that the reason the cannons were discovered away from the ship was because when the HMS Tyger ran aground, the crew became desperate and threw the weapons overboard in an attempt to lighten the load.
The ship was originally built in 1647 and was likely in the Florida Keys to fight in the War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739-1748). It had been renovated several times over its 95-year-long lifetime.
The ship likely patrolled the waters surrounding Cuba and Jamaica before it spotted a Spanish ship off the western coast of Cuba. Archaeologists believe it then pursued the boat into the Gulf of Mexico without fully registering that the water was becoming more shallow.
Once it became clear that the ship was lost, the captain ordered everyone to abandon the ship and go ashore at Garden Key. There, they became the island’s first inhabitants and built its first fortifications.
Those first inhabitants were marooned for 66 days but also realized they would not have survived long-term on the island, which had little natural resources; after a botched attack on a Spanish ship, the crew used small boats to engage in a daring 700-mile journey to Port Royal in Jamaica that took 55 days.
Before leaving, they burned the HMS Tyger to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Garden Key is now the home of Dry Tortugas National Park as the island was later transformed into the stunning Fort Jefferson, which is surrounded by beautiful blue waters.
The shipwreck is still British property, thanks to protections provided by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004.
Now that the ship has been identified as a military ship, the HMS Tyger will receive additional protections from the Sunken Military Craft Act, which will “enable the NPS to plan for the site’s future care and stewardship of the site, and in particular monitor any changes caused by either natural or anthropogenic (human) activities.”
“This discovery highlights the importance of preservation in place as future generations of archeologists, armed with more advanced technologies and research tools, are able to reexamine sites and make new discoveries,” said Josh Marano, the maritime archeologist who led the team that made the discovery.
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Author: Kevin McSpadden
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