Staff Pick: This is one of the news stories our staff is reading this week.
Australian marine archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the wreckage of British explorer Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour off the coast of Rhode Island. The 18th-century vessel foundered in the western Atlantic nearly 250 years ago.
After 22 years of research, Australian National Maritime Museum chief executive Kevin Sumption has confirmed that the wrecked ship filed under the name ‘RI 2394’ was the Endeavour.
HMB Endeavour in history
Captain James Cook launched the HMB (Her Majesty’s Bark) Endeavour to fame or infamy, depending on who you ask. He sailed it around the South Pacific in the early 1770s. During the voyage, Cook and crew collected vast amounts of previously unknown data.
“It’s an important historical moment, as this vessel’s role in exploration, astronomy, and science applies not just to Australia, but also Aotearoa/New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” Sumption told reporters. “It’s arguably one of the most important vessels in Australia’s maritime history.”
So important, in fact, that the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) built an exact and functioning replica of the Endeavour from the original blueprints. It’s one of the Museum’s greatest attractions.
- 4,000 Marinas
- Thousands of anchorages
- Updated Charts
- Mile-by-Mile Navigation
- Highlighted Alerts & Cautions
- Full-Color Aerial Photographs
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