The Tyger Without Nine Lives (1742)

The HMS Tyger was almost a hundred years old by the war of Jenkin’s Ear, and might have reached that august age had her captain not abandoned his post, lured away by the prospect of prize money. Worse yet, he mistook the Florida Keys for the Bahamas, and the HMS Tyger ended her life on the beach of the Dry Tortugas. What would follow was an attempt to capture a Spanish Sloop, a near mutiny, and a lengthy voyage in small boats to Jamaica. The whole matter ended with four court martials. Built: 1647 Tonage: 712 Type: Wooden Frigate Sank: 1742 Nationality: British Location Sank: Dry Tortugas, Florida Sources: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?17785 More Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing By Seven Danforth Singer https://books.google.com/books?id=3whdAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=captain+herbert+tyger+court+martial&source=bl&ots=vwABWqMrwv&sig=ACfU3U0ynKPlrgPWRIlhI9kiPd-dJv1Pfg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAkZip5ej1AhVNj4kEHZfADeIQ6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=captain%20herbert%20tyger%20court%20martial&f=false https://floridakeys.com/key-west/dry-tortugas-history/ https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-Jenkins-Ear True Stories of the Perilous Straits: The Florida Keys by John Viele https://hmsTigerassociation.uk/hms-Tiger-history/ https://www.nps.gov/drto/planyourvisit/garden-key.htm