Divers locate century-old Royal Navy warship off Isle of Wight after 118 years

ProjectXplore divers confirmed the location of HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy ship that went down in 1908 following a collision with HMS Berwick, resulting in the loss of over half of its 57 crew members. After five years of studying historic records, the team located the wreck on August 10 and documented its corroded remains with underwater photography, also laying a wreath to honor the dead. Team leaders Leo Fielding and Dan McMullen described the work as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve the vessel’s story.

Their discovery arrives as the UK government moves to enhance protection for sunken military vessels through the proposed Armed Forces Bill, which would make disturbance of such sites illegal from the moment of discovery. Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones highlighted the legislation’s aim to safeguard national heritage and respect lost sailors. Recent years have seen similar breakthroughs, including the documentation of the 1703 wreck of Northumberland and the surfacing of a 17th-century merchant ship believed to be The Fame.