HMS Endeavour, the long-lost ship once commanded by the famous United Kingdom (UK) explorer Captain James Cook during a Pacific voyage, has been discovered off the coast of Rhode Island, ending a 250-year maritime mystery.
The Australian National Maritime Museum announced the discovery, which follows decades of underwater and historical research.
The museum began the search for the Endeavour in 1999 and recently confirmed that the wreck in Newport Harbor, previously marked as RI 2394, is the final resting place of the famous ship.
“This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological research on this important ship,” said museum director Daryl Karp, calling the announcement a “definitive statement.”
Cook’s Endeavour gained historical fame during its first Pacific voyage from 1768 to 1771, becoming the first European ship to reach eastern Australia and to circumnavigate New Zealand.
After the expedition, the ship was repurposed for military transport, sold to the shipping company Mather & Co., and renamed Lord Sandwich. It was sunk in 1778 as part of a blockade during the American War of Independence.
Researchers confirmed that it is that ship by comparing the structure of RI 2394 with the original survey plans of the Endeavour from 1768. The positions of the timbers aligned with the positions of the ship’s main and fore masts, and all main measurements matched within millimeters.
“The scarf joint is identical, absolutely identical,” said archaeologist Kieran Hosty, describing a unique wooden feature not found on other ships from that era.
Despite the museum’s confidence, it faced criticism over the alleged discovery.
When the museum announced its initial findings in 2022, its research partners at the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project dismissed the announcement as “premature,” citing it as a “breach of contract.”
Archaeologist James Hunter of the Australian National Maritime Museum argued that enough criteria had been met to confirm the identity of the wreck.
“You will never find a sign that says ‘Cook was here.’ We have a whole range of things that point to RI 2394… Endeavour,” said Hosty.
He added that so far they have found many things that indicate it is the Endeavour, and nothing at the site that says it isn’t, AA writes.
