Mystery of Captain Cook's lost ship solved after 250 years as scientists discover exact location of the HMS Endeavour
16 June 2025, 11:23 | Updated: 16 June 2025, 11:30
After 250 years, the mystery of the final resting place of Captain Cook's Endeavour, the legendary ship that brought the first Brits to Australia, has finally been solved.
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The Endeavour became the first European ship to circumnavigate New Zealand and reach Eastern Australia between 1768 and 1771.
Despite the legendary status of the ship’s captain, James Cook, the Endeavour ultimately became lost to history.
Sold in 1775, the ship was renamed the Lord Sandwich before being sunk during the American Revolutionary War in 1778.
Read more: Captain Cook monument removed from Melbourne park following repeated vandalism
And for 250 years, the exact whereabouts of the Endeavour’s wreckage remained unknown, until now.
The Endeavour has officially been found in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island in the United States.
The wreckage was actually discovered 25 years ago, but until now, scientists were unable to definitively say it belonged to the legendary ship.
The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) officially announced the news this week.
Museum director Daryl Karp said: “This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel.
“It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe.
“This final report marks our definitive statement on the project.”
Experts were able to identify the ship by comparing pictures of the wreckage with detailed plans of the Endeavour.
Scientists were able to spot timbers whose placement matched exactly that of the ship’s original design.
A further analysis of the wreckage found its wood had European origin, further supporting the ANMM’s hypothesis.
ANMM archaeologist, Kieran Hosty, said: “The timbers are British timbers.
“The size of all the timber scantlings are almost identical to Endeavour, and I'm talking within millimetres – not inches, but millimetres.“The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical. This stem scarf is also a very unique feature – we've gone through a whole bunch of 18th-century ships plans, and we can't find anything else like it.”
This discovery could prove controversial, however, with the ANMM’s claim being branded “premature” when they first proposed it in 2022.
Despite this, the ANMM’s experts are positive their claim is correct.
Archaeologist James Hunter said: “The Lord Sandwich was intentionally scuttled – it was sunk on purpose as a block ship.
“The chances of finding artifacts that would provide an immediate identification, such as a bell, were very unlikely. And that's because anything that was of value would have been stripped out of that ship before it was sunk.
“But what has been recovered up to this point is indicative of an 18th-century time frame.”
