The Australian National Maritime Museum has confirmed the resting place of the legendary ship Endeavour—the first European vessel to reach the eastern coast of Australia.
In a new report following 26 years of historical and archaeological research, scientists revealed that Captain James Cook’s ship lies on a muddy seabed at site RI 2394, located in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, USA.
How It Happened
In 1768, Endeavour set sail from England under the command of Captain James Cook on a groundbreaking journey across the Pacific Ocean. Its mission was to document the “undiscovered southern lands.”
“For some, Cook’s Pacific voyage from 1768 to 1771 embodies the spirit of the Enlightenment in Europe, while for others, it symbolizes the beginning of colonization and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples,” the museum’s report stated.
After returning to England, the ship was sold to a private owner and renamed Lord Sandwich. When the French blockaded Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island in 1778, the ship was deliberately sunk along with a dozen other military vessels. It sank to the ocean floor, where it remained until today, according to IFLScience.
The search for the Endeavour began in 1999 when the Australian National Maritime Museum joined forces with the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). Marine archaeologists faced numerous setbacks before finally achieving their goal—discovering the probable site of the Endeavour’s sinking.
In 2022, the Australian National Maritime Museum announced that the sunken ship rests at site RI 2394. However, RIMAP deemed the identification premature. Now, museum researchers have stated that for them, “this matter is closed.”
“This report is final. We express our gratitude to the museum’s archaeological team for their over 25 years of work, to Dr. Kathy Abbass from Rhode Island, to the Rhode Island authorities, and to the many experts who have provided insights and recommendations over the years,” said museum director Deryll Carp.