The US National Park Service has key the remains of a British warship , HMSTyger , which sank in 1742 when it fly the coop aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas , now a internal common in the Gulf of Mexico .
The write up of HMSTygeris bind to a peculiarly name conflict between Britain and Spain that read place between 1739 and 1748 ; the so - shout War of Jenkins Ear ( that is its name , I ’m not make it up ) .
The difference of opinion gain its name from events onboard a British brig , theRebecca , when she was board by Spanish patrols in Cuba in April 1731.Apparently , the Spanish suspected the vessel of smuggling sugar , and , during a heated exchange , allegedly thin off the ear of Captain Robert Jenkins , who then resolve to show it off ( he had pickle it ) back in Britain to stir up rancor .
Then , several long time later , opposition politicians in Parliament referred to the incident to incite sustenance for a war with Spain , and so theWar of Jenkins Earbegan .
The , during 1742 , HMSTygerwas dribble out routine patrols around Dry Tortugas when it move aground . There were approximately 300 members of the crew onboard at the time , all of whom became marooned on what is the island of Garden Key today – the secondly largest island in theDry Tortugas .
According to apaperwritten by archaeologists Andrew Van Slyke and Joshua Marano , the latter of which lead the team that discovered theTyger , the crew was stranded there for 66 day , during which time they erected a little fortification on the island . This social organization predated the establishment of Fort Jefferson , which now dominates the island , by 100 years .
Throughout their arrest , the subsister had to battle the heat energy , mosquitoes , and thirst while attempting to escape . They build makeshift watercraft from salvaged piece of HMSTyger’swreckage and made attempts to get help while also seek to locate Spanish vessels in the area . After a fail endeavour on one Spanish ship , the surviving crew burn the remains of theTygerso that the guns would not descend into the enemy hands .
Identifying theTyger
It ’s a story of survival and exploit desirable of legend – but for centuries , the location of what remained of HMSTygerremained a mystery .
Then , in 1993 , the remains of the shipwreck were turn up .
Using selective information gather from historical resources , archeologist from Dry Tortugas National Park , theSubmerged Resource Centre , and theSoutheast Archaeological Centersurveyed the situation in 2021 . They establish five cannons around 500 yards ( 457 meters ) away from the main wreck site .
According to the margins of an old logbook , the crew ofTygerapparently “ lighten her forward ” after they initially ran aground . They then contend to refloat the vessel briefly before it sunk in shallow water system .
An analysis of the guns showed they were British six and nine - pound sign cannons , which were thrown overboard when the vessel first unravel aground . These fact aid the archeologists confirm that they were looking at the clay of theTyger .
“ archeologic find are exciting , but connect those finds to the diachronic record helps us tell the chronicle of the people that came before us and the upshot they go through , ” Park Manager James Crutchfield said in astatement . “ This particular story is one of tenacity and endurance . National parks aid to protect these untold stories as they make out to spark . ”
“ This find highlights the grandness of preservation in place as future generation of archaeologist , armed with more innovative technologies and research tool , are able to review land site and make unexampled discoveries , ” Marano added .
According to the term of international pact , HMSTygerand its remaining artifacts are the supreme attribute of the British Government . HMSFowey , a like vessel , was lost in what is now Biscayne National Park when it subside in 1748 . The wreckage is now handle under aMemorandum of Agreementbetween the United States and the British Royal Navy .
