Captain Cook’s ship HMS Endeavour ‘FOUND’ off US coast after 250 years, Oz experts claim – sparking feud with America
CAPTAIN Cook’s ship the HMS Endeavour has reportedly been found off the coast of Rhode Island, ending an almost 250-year mystery.
The explorer used the vessel to sail around the South Pacific before landing on the east coast of Australia in 1770.
The Endeavour's last sighting was in 1778 during the Revolutionary War.
It’s believed the wreckage was identified in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, and has been lying in US waters for almost 250 years.
The ship is around 500 meters off the coast; it sits 14 meters below the surface and is "buried in sediment and silt".
Kevin Sumption, director of the Australian National Maritime Museum, said: “Based on archival and archaeological evidence, I'm convinced it's the Endeavour
"This is an important moment. It is arguably one of the most important vessels in our maritime history."
The "identification" appears to have come after more than two decades of research.
But, researchers in the US say it’s “too early” to reach a conclusion, adding that investigations will be driven by the scientific process.They branded the announcement by Australian experts as "premature".
Kathy Abbass, executive director of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology, said: "The Australian National Maritime Museum announcement is a breach of contract... for the conduct of this research and how its results are to be shared with the public."
She warned there are unanswered questions that could "overturn" an identification, according to Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project.
She said: "What we see on the shipwreck site under study is consistent with what might be expected of the Endeavour, but there has been no indisputable data found to prove the site is that iconic vessel."
Cook departed Plymouth, England in August 1768 where he traveled to Tahiti and New Zealand before reaching Australia in 1770.
They landed at Botany Bay recording local flora and fauna – including the first European sighting of a kangaroo.
The Endeavour then returned to England, where it was sold off by the Royal Navy to a private buyer.
It was then used during the American War of Independence to ship British troops across the Atlantic to fight.
During the war, the British also used it as a prison ship but the boat was intentionally sunk in 1778 – along with 12 other vessels – to prevent an invasion.
Around 15 percent of the wreckage remains as researchers look to preserve what's left of the vessel.
The Endeavour is believed to be located near the La Liberté, another sunken ship found in Newport Harbor.
Some experts believe this ship had formerly been named the HMS Resolution, also used by Cook during a mega-voyage between 1772 and 1775.
It means two of Cook's four round-the-world ships may be located next to each other.
Cook was killed in 1779 during his third exploratory voyage in the Pacific while trying to detain the chief of Hawaii at the time.
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