Legendary exploration shipwreck found after 250 years under the sea

The wreck of the HMS Endeavour - Captain James Cook's legendary expedition ship - has been found by scientists off the coast of America 250 years after it sank.

Note 'Sunk ship' circled near Rhode Island state - Photo: ANMM

According to the Independent , between 1768 and 1771, the HMS Endeavour was the first European ship to reach the east coast of Australia. The expedition ship was later sold, renamed the Lord Sandwich , and sunk off the coast of America during the War of 1778.

The ship was lost for centuries, but the wreck has now been discovered in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island (USA).

The discovery was announced in a new report by the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM). Experts identified the wreck as RI 2394.

Museum director Daryl Karp said the discovery was the result of 25 years of archaeological research and underwater investigation.

Researchers compared the wreck with historical blueprints of HMS Endeavour and found the measurements matched a survey from 1768.

“The timbers are all British,” said archaeologist Kieran Hosty, co-author of the report. “The dimensions of the timbers are almost identical to those of the Endeavour, within a few millimetres. The bow joints are also exactly the same – a very rare feature. We have looked at a wide range of 18th-century ship designs and have not found this on any other ship.”

During the American Revolutionary War, the ship was used as the Lord Sandwich . When the American-French forces besieged Newport Harbor, she was one of 13 ships deliberately sunk to create an underwater barrier. The wreck has not been recovered since.

Archaeologist James Hunter, co-author of the report, said it was unlikely that enough artifacts would be found to be immediately identifiable because valuable items would have been taken before the ship sank. However, all traces discovered so far date to the 18th century.

In 2022, a preliminary report also identified the wreck as the Endeavour, but was disputed by research partner Rhode Island Maritime Archaeology Project (RIMAP), which said the conclusion was "hasty" and "a breach of contract," according to The Telegraph .

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tim-thay-xac-tau-tham-hiem-huyen-thoai-sau-250-nam-chim-duoi-bien-20250619105841391.htm