Fred Wesley Wyman was born on November 13, 1894, in Goffstown, New Hampshire. As the world plunged into the chaos of the First World War, Wyman chose to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Coast Guard. His commitment and courage placed him aboard the USCGC Tampa, a heavily tasked cutter operating in the perilous waters off Europe during the height of the war.

In 1918, the Tampa was assigned to convoy escort duty in the dangerous U-boat hunting grounds of the North Atlantic. On September 26, while returning to port through the Bristol Channel, the ship was suddenly and fatally attacked by the German submarine U-91. The torpedo struck with devastating precision. In minutes, the cutter sank beneath the waves—taking all 131 aboard to their deaths, including Wyman.

At just 23 years old, Fred Wyman became part of what remains the single greatest combat loss in Coast Guard history. The sinking of the Tampa was not just a maritime tragedy but a profound national loss, symbolizing the often-unseen sacrifices made by Coast Guard personnel in wartime.

For decades, the memory of Wyman and his shipmates was preserved through quiet reverence. In 1999, the U.S. Coast Guard authorized the posthumous awarding of the Purple Heart to all Tampa crew members lost in the attack. In January 2012, nearly a century after his death, Wyman’s Purple Heart was formally presented to his family after a relative rediscovered his story through genealogical research.

Fred Wesley Wyman’s name is engraved at Arlington National Cemetery on the USCGC Tampa Memorial, a permanent reminder of the price paid by those who serve on the sea. His story is one of quiet bravery, deep sacrifice, and a legacy that endures far beyond the waves where he was lost.