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4w ago

Australian National Maritime Museum Confirms HMS Endeavour Wreck After 25-Year Investigation

Experts matched British timber evidence to the ship’s original plans in a definitive report that resolves decades of debate over the Newport Harbor discovery

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A replica of Captain Cook’s ship, HMS Endeavour, arrives in Sydney harbour. The location of the real thing has been located after years of searching and discussion

Overview

  • The Australian National Maritime Museum’s final report identifies shipwreck RI2394 in Newport Harbor as HMS Endeavour after 25 years of archaeological and archival research.
  • Researchers compared wreck timbers and hull measurements to the Endeavour’s 1768 ship plans, finding unique British timber scantlings that match within millimetres.
  • The vessel first reached eastern Australia and circumnavigated New Zealand between 1768 and 1771 before being sold, renamed Lord Sandwich and scuttled in 1778 during the American Revolutionary War.
  • The 2025 confirmation addresses criticism from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, which had labeled the initial 2022 announcement premature and continues to examine other candidate wrecks.
  • The museum and Rhode Island authorities are now moving to secure legislative and physical protections for the site to preserve this artifact of maritime exploration.