Final Resting Place of Cook's HMS Endeavour Confirmed

The whereabouts of the wreckage has been hotly debated by researchers for years.

Researchers have confirmed that the 18th-century British explorer Captain James Cook's lost ship found its final resting place in Rhode Island's Newport Harbor. The Australian National Maritime Museum first claimed it was in Rhode Island, US, in 2022, but this was met with criticism by the museum’s research partners, the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, who denounced the finding as both “premature” or “based on Australian emotions and politics” rather than science.

Captain Cook famously sailed the Endeavour across the Pacific Ocean multiple times in the mid-1700s. He is remembered for his voyage to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, which he claimed for Britain, as well as Hawaii, where he ultimately met his fate in a dispute with indigenous residents. Cook's exploration of the islands laid the foundation for British colonization in those areas, which is why, for different reasons, it's an important part of Australian history, according to the museum's report.

Daryl Karp, ANMM director, said: “This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel. It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe. This final report marks our definitive statement on the project.”

Between 1768 and 1771, the Endeavour became the first European vessel to reach eastern Australia and circumnavigate the main islands of New Zealand.

So, how did it end up in Rhode Island’s Newport Harbor? History relates that the ship was sold and renamed as the Lord Sandwich in 1775; the ship then sank off the US coast during the American War of Independence in 1778.