Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour shipwreck found after being lost for 250 years

The remains of Captain James Cook’s ship, HMS Endeavour, have been discovered off the coast of Rhode Island more than 250 years after it sank.

HMS Endeavour set sail from Plymouth in 1768 on Cook’s first Pacific voyage, a journey that would see the ship chart large parts of the South Pacific, including the east coast of Australia and New Zealand. 

At the time, the expedition attracted little public attention, with most people unaware of Cook or his mission beyond a small group within the British Admiralty. 

Unlike naval battles or captured enemy ships, Cook’s surveying work did not make the headlines.

The discovery was announced by the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) following decades of underwater exploration and detailed archaeological analysis.

The Captain Cook Society, which has been reporting on the search for the missing wreck since the 1990s, told The Moorlander: “As to whether we are surprised, the answer is no.” 

The society has closely followed developments for decades and welcomed the announcement.

Maritime archaeologist Kieran Hosty told The Independent that the research team had matched the wreck, known as RI 2394, to historic plans of HMS Endeavour. 

“The timbers are British timbers,” he explained. “The size of all the timber scantlings are almost identical to Endeavour, and I’m talking within millimetres, not inches, but millimetres.”

Mr Hosty also highlighted to the news outlet that a distinctive feature called a stem scarf found on the wreck, which is “absolutely identical” to that of Cook’s original ship and is very rare for vessels built in the 18th century.

Daryl Karp, director of the ANMM, told The Independent the find was the result of more than 25 years of research combining historical records with field data. 

While the museum has not ruled out other possible wreck sites, the evidence strongly suggests the ship is the Endeavour, later renamed Lord Sandwich after being sold and repurposed.

HMS Endeavour’s voyage marked a significant moment in exploration history.

The ship left Plymouth in August 1768, becoming the first European vessel to reach eastern Australia.

Cook and his crew also mapped the coastline of New Zealand and visited several Pacific islands before returning to Britain nearly three years later in July 1771.

Following the voyage, the ship was scuttled in Newport Harbour during the American War of Independence in 1778. 

Its exact location was lost until now.

The rediscovery offers an opportunity to reconnect with a key chapter in maritime history and sheds light on one of the most important voyages of discovery in the 18th century.