Maritime historians believe they have finally identified the resting place of HMS Endeavour, the ship commanded by famed British explorer Captain James Cook. The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) announced this month that the wreck has been located in Newport Harbor, just off the coast of Rhode Island.
HMS Endeavour played a crucial role in 18th-century exploration. Under Cook’s command, the ship voyaged through the Pacific, claiming Australia and New Zealand for Britain and laying groundwork for future colonization. It later transported troops before being sold, renamed the Lord Sandwich, and deliberately sunk in 1778 during the American Revolutionary War to prevent French and American forces from advancing.
Experts now confirm that maritime archaeological site RI 2394 in Newport Harbor is the ship’s final resting place. After decades of research, the museum matched ten points of evidence between the shipwreck and Endeavour’s historical schematics. Among the most conclusive signs were timber structures matching the ship’s main and fore mast positions with near-millimeter precision.
Archaeologist Kieran Hosty noted the stem scarf—a curved bow timber—as a unique identifying feature. “The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical,” he said, underscoring that no other 18th-century ship examined had such a match. Additional confirmation came from four iron cannons found at the site.
The Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was sold into private hands in 1775 and renamed. Its journey from world exploration to its quiet burial during wartime now appears to have reached a definitive end, bringing closure to a centuries-old maritime mystery.
