18th century warship that sank off Florida Keys identified as British

KEY WEST, Florida: National Park Service archaeologists identified a wrecked seagoing vessel discovered decades ago off the Florida Keys as a British warship that sank in the 18th century.

In a news release last week, the service said its archaeologists used new research to determine that the wreckage first spotted in 1993 near Dry Tortugas National Park is the HMS Tyger.

The findings were recently published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

The HMS Tyger, a Fourth-Rate, 50-gun frigate built in 1647, sank in 1742 after running aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas while on patrol in the War of Jenkins Ear between Britain and Spain.

In a statement, maritime archaeologist Josh Marano said, "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."

Officials said archaeologists surveyed the site in 2021 and found five cannons several hundred yards from the main wreck site.

They added that the guns were determined to be those thrown overboard when HMS Tyger first ran aground.

After the ship was wrecked, some 300 crew members were marooned for more than two months on what is currently Garden Key.

They then built seagoing vessels from salvaged pieces of the wrecked HMS Tyger and traveled 700 miles (1,125 kilometers) through enemy waters to British-controlled Port Royal, Jamaica.

In line with international treaties, the remains of HMS Tyger and its related artifacts are the sovereign property of the UK government.