Divers miraculously discover 18th century 130ft-long WARSHIP in Florida Keys that sunk in coral-filled water 282 YEARS ago during Anglo-Spanish War

An 18th-century warship was miraculously discovered by divers from the National Park Service in the Florida Keys after it sunk during the Anglo-Spanish War in 1742.

The HMS Tyger was a 50-gun frigate ship built in 1647 and its existence had not been confirmed after it ran aground near reefs in what's now known as Dry Tortugas National Park over 280 years ago. 

The ship - measured 130 feet long and weighing 704 tons - was on patrol during what was known as the War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748.

New research by the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center alongside archeologists from the park confirmed that remains discovered in 1993 are definitively that of the Tyger. 

The proof came from the discovery of five six and nine-pound canons found during a survey of the site in 2021 about 500 yards from the original wreck. 

An 18th-century British warship was miraculously discovered by divers from the National Park Service in the Florida Keys after it sunk during the Anglo-Spanish War in 1742

The HMS Tyger was a 50-gun frigate ship built in 1647 and its existence had not been confirmed after it ran aground near the reefs of what's now known as Dry Tortugas National Park over 280 years ago

Researchers believe they were found in that location because they accessed old logbooks from the ship saying the crew 'lightened [the Tyger] forward.' 

Tossing out the canons had initially refloated the HMS Tyger before it sank for good in shallow waters on January 13, 1742.

'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. 

The Tyger's some 300 crew members experienced 66 days marooned on what is now known as Garden Key following the shipwreck, even building forts on the island.  

'This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.'

Florida heat, mosquitoes and a lack of drinkable water were what the surviving crew had to pull through while on Garden Key as they tried to improvise their way off. 

Some of the crew members used rescued portions of the Tyger to try and create new vessels to get help or further supplies. 

As the Spanish-Anglo War was still ongoing, they searched for and eventually attempted an attack on a Spanish Naval ship.

The ship - measured 130 feet long and weighing 704 tons - was on patrol during what was known as the War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748. It was found near what is now Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida

Image showing concreted cannonballs on the seafloor from the HMS Tyger

New research by the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center alongside archeologists from the park confirmed that remains discovered in 1993 are definitively that of the Tyger

A National Park Service diver documents one of five coral-encrusted cannons found during a recent archeological survey in Dry Tortugas National Par 

Researchers believe they were found in that location because they accessed old logbooks from the ship saying the crew 'lightened [the Tyger] forward'

When that attack failed, the crew left burned the remains they still had of the Tyger to avoid the Spanish getting the artillery onboard. 

They finally used their makeshift vessels to escape 700 miles through Spanish-controlled waters to Port Royal in Jamaica. 

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

'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, a maritime archeologist who led the team that made the discovery. 

It will now receive protection under the US' Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004, which is meant to preserve and protect from unauthorized disturbance all sunken military craft.

Similar crafts discovered in the past have been managed by both the United States and British Royal Navy. 

The remains are the sovereign property of the British Government in accordance with international treaty.