Sunken 18th-century British warship identified off Florida Keys in Dry Tortugas National Park

Archaeologists have uncovered new research that provides definitive evidence that the remains of an 18th-century British warship are resting in the waters of South Florida.

Although the discovery of the naval vessel HMS Tyger dates back to 1993 in Dry Tortugas National Park, it has now been positively identified, which provides additional protection under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004. According to international agreements, the British Government holds sovereign ownership of the remains of HMS Tyger and related artifacts.

“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.

According to the National Park Service, HMS Tyger, which was built in 1647, ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas in 1742 while on patrol in the War of Jenkins Ear between Britain and Spain.

In 2021, archeologists from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center surveyed the site using leads from historical research. They discovered five cannons approximately 500 yards from the main wreck site.

Buried in the margins of the old logbooks was a reference that described how the crew “lightened her forward” after initially running aground, briefly refloating the vessel and then sinking in shallow water, the NPS said.

After analyzing their size, features, and location, it was determined that the guns found were British six and nine-pound cannons thrown overboard when HMS Tyger initially ran aground, researchers noted.

The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology recently published the findings which ultimately led archaeologists to argue convincingly that the wreck discovered in 1993 was the remains of 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,” Park Manager James Crutchfield said. “This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.”

A similar warship, HMS Fowey, was lost in what is now Biscayne National Park in 1748, the NPS said. Currently, it is being managed between the U.S. and the British Royal Navy.

History of HMS Tyger and Dry Tortugas National Park

About 300 crew members were stranded on Garden Key for 66 days after the wreck of HMS Tyger, the NPS said. They are responsible for building the first fortifications on the island more than 100 years before Fort Jefferson, which is the park’s main cultural resource.

According to the NPS, the crew battled extreme heat, mosquitoes and thirst while constructing vessels from the wreckage of HMS Tyger and made several attempts to seek help. After an unsuccessful attack on a Spanish ship, the surviving crew burned the remaining parts of HMS Tyger to prevent its weapons from falling into enemy hands. They then used their makeshift vessels to travel 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Jefferson National Monument under the Antiquities Act to preserve the Dry Tortugas Islands and Fort Jefferson, the NPS notes.

Congress expanded the monument in 1983 and re-designated it Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992, “In order to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations nationally significant natural, historic, scenic, marine, and scientific values in South Florida.”