Officials from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project and the Australian National Maritime Museum plan to announce that they’ve narrowed their search down to “one or two archaeological sites” in the waters off Newport, R.I.,
A team of researchers believes it might be located, in the waters off Rhode Island, a long-lost ship that Captain James Cook sailed on his historic voyage to New Zealand and Australia.
What it means to Australia?
The discovery of Cook’s ship, known as the HMS Endeavor, could bring to light an important piece of history and solve what the Sydney Morning Herald has called “one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time.”
“The Endeavour is Australia’s equivalent of the Mayflower,” said Charlotte Taylor, an archeologist with the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. “It has immense national significance to Australia and New Zealand.”
A true voyager story
So how did it end up off the coast of Rhode Island? According to the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project’s website, after Cook claimed Australia for Britain in 1770, the Endeavour returned to England in 1771 and then served as a Royal Navy store ship until it was sold a few years later. It was later renamed the Lord Sandwich and was given to the British government to transport troops over to fight in the American Revolutionary War. At one point, it was used to hold American prisoners of war.
The ship finally met its demise in 1778, when the French arrived to help the Patriots in Rhode Island, and the British intentionally sank several vessels in an effort to create a blockade and stop the French fleet from sailing in. The ship that Cook used on his historic voyage was among those that sunk.
Close enough
The Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project hopes to pinpoint the exact location of the ship soon, and researchers appear to be closer than ever to accomplishing that goal.
And a press conference is about to happen on Friday to unveil a 3-D image of what could be the likely resting place of the vessel just off the shore of Goat Island.
“This year, 2018, is the 250th anniversary of Cook’s departure from England in the Endeavour, and 2020 is the anniversary of Cook’s claim of Australia for Britain,” the website states. “The identification of the Lord Sandwich ex Endeavour in Newport Harbor will be particularly significant during this time of historical celebrations.”
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Source: The Boston Globe
