Divers have located the wreck of HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy warship that sank off the Isle of Wight in 1908, concluding an 118-year-old mystery. The discovery was announced on August 10 by the ProjectXplore dive group, which spent five years researching archives and data to pinpoint the vessel's location.
The HMS Tiger went down after colliding with another Royal Navy warship, the 10,000-ton HMS Berwick. The sinking resulted in the deaths of more than half of HMS Tiger's 57 crew members. Images released by ProjectXplore show divers exploring the ship's twisted and rusting remains on the seabed. A wreath was laid on the wreck in memory of those who perished.
Organizers of ProjectXplore described the discovery as “the privilege of a lifetime” and expressed hope that their work will ensure the story of HMS Tiger and those connected to it endures. "We sincerely hope that our work will ensure that HMS Tiger, her story and the memory of those connected with her endure for future generations,” organizers Leo Fielding and Dan McMullen stated.
The discovery coincides with the British government's efforts to enhance legal protections for military shipwrecks through its Armed Forces Bill. Proposed changes aim to protect wrecks like HMS Tiger from the moment of discovery, making unauthorized disturbance or removal of items illegal. Divers would still be permitted to visit wrecks under a “look but don’t touch” policy.
Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones highlighted the bill's broad scope, mentioning protections for cultural heritage and improvements to military family housing. "These protections go further to ensure that these vulnerable and nationally significant monuments are protected from day one of discovery, giving lost sailors the dignity and respect they deserve,” Sandher-Jones said.
HMS Tiger is the latest in a series of historic shipwrecks recently found or documented in British waters. Last summer, the well-preserved wreck of the British warship HMS Northumberland, which sank during the Great Storm of 1703, was documented off the coast of Kent. Earlier this year, the remains of a 17th-century merchant ship, believed to be The Fame that sank in 1631, resurfaced on a beach in southwestern England following winter storms.