The Post

Cook’s Endeavour ‘found’

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Marine archaeolog­ists believe they have finally identified the resting place of HMS Endeavour, the ship James Cook commanded on his first voyage of discovery, an achievemen­t that would solve one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time.

The breakthrou­gh has raised hopes the vessel will be excavated next year, in time for the 250th anniversar­y of Cook’s arrival in Australia. The ship is historical­ly significan­t to many countries –including the United States, Britain, New Zealand and Australia – and its excavation could spark a battle over where the wreckage should be housed.

The breakthrou­gh follows an arduous 25-year search for the historic ship off Newport, Rhode Island, on the north-eastern coast of the US.

Archaeolog­ists from the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Rhode Island Marine Archaeolog­y Project will release a detailed 3D image of the site in Newport Harbour where they believe the ship is located.

Peter Dexter, the chairman of the Australian National Maritime Museum, will attend the event, as will Australia’s consulgene­ral in New York, Alastair Walton.

Over 25 years, marine archaeolog­ists have narrowed down the search for the Endeavour from a fleet of 13 vessels to five, and have now pinpointed one extremely promising site.

The site is located just off Goat Island, a small island in the Narraganse­tt Bay.

Kathy Abbass, director of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeolog­y Project, told Fairfax Media: ‘‘We can say we think we know which one it is. It is exciting, we are closing in. This is a vessel that is significan­t to people around the world.’’

Dr Abbass said she was hopeful the ship could be excavated next year, in time for the April 2020 celebratio­ns marking 250 years since Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay. She said the identity of the ship will only be definitive­ly proven after its excavation.

The Endeavour was purchased by the British Navy in 1768 for a scientific mission to the Pacific Ocean and to locate the mysterious southern continent then known as Terra Australis.

Cook departed Plymouth in August 1768, travelling through the Pacific Islands before arriving in New Zealand in September 1769.

In April 1770, Endeavour became the first ship to reach the east coast of Australia, when Cook arrived at the site now known as Botany Bay.

The ship was sold in 1775 and renamed Lord Sandwich 2. It was hired as a British troop transport during the American War of Independen­ce and was scuttled in a blockade off Rhode Island in 1778.

Volunteer researcher­s from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeolog­y Project began their study of the group of vessels believed to include the ship in 1993.

In recent years, the Australian National Maritime Museum has provided grants to help fund the deep-dive and remote sensing studies that have helped narrow the search for the ship. – Fairfax

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 ?? SUPPLIED ?? The replica of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour seen off Poverty Bay. US and Australian archaeolog­ists hunting for Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour may have finally discovered its location on the east coast of America.
SUPPLIED The replica of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour seen off Poverty Bay. US and Australian archaeolog­ists hunting for Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour may have finally discovered its location on the east coast of America.

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