A cannon from HMS Tyger, sunk off the Florida coast

In this image, a diver surveys one of the five cannon found during an archaeological exploration in Dry Tortugas National Park, off the south-west coast of Florida. The cannon played a crucial role in confirming that a nearby wreck, first identified more than 30 years ago, is in fact the remains of HMS Tyger, a British warship that sank in 1742. The announcement was made earlier this year by the US National Park Service (NPS). Built in 1647, Tyger was a fourth-rate, 50-gun frigate that measured 130 feet long. By the time of the War of Jenkins’ Ear – the 1739-1748 conflict between Britain and Spain over their competing commercial interests in the Caribbean (see feature here) – she wa