Famous shipwreck confirmed to be in Rhode Island waters
Researchers confirmed the final resting place of 18th-century British explorer Captain James Cook's lost ship is in Newport Harbor.
'For some, the Pacific voyage led by James Cook between 1768 and 1771 embodies the spirit of Europe's Age of Enlightenment, while for others it symbolises the onset of colonisation and the subjugation of First Nations Peoples,' the executive summary of the report said.
Originally called the 'HMS Endeavor,' the vessel was later renamed 'Lord Sandwich' and used as a troop transport and prison ship before it was deliberately sunk in 1778.
The approximate location of the wreck is just north of Goat Island and east of Rose Island, near Newport, Rhode Island, according to the report.
The Australian National Maritime Museum said it's working with the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission to protect the site.
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New York Post
12 hours ago
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Science and local sleuthing identify 250-year-old shipwreck on Scottish island
When a schoolboy going for a run found the ribs of a wooden ship poking through the dunes of a remote Scottish beach, it sparked a hunt by archaeologists, scientists and local historians to uncover its story. Through a mix of high-tech science and community research, they have an answer. Researchers announced Wednesday that the vessel is very likely the Earl of Chatham, an 18th-century warship that saw action in the American War of Independence before a second life hunting whales in the Arctic — and then a stormy demise. 4 A close-up of the 3d model of the Sanday Wreck, which has recently been identified as the Earl of Chatham. Wessex Archaeology / SWNS 'I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to say about a ship that's wrecked,' said Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, a charity that helped community researchers conduct the investigation. 'I think if it had been found in many other places, it wouldn't necessarily have had that community drive, that desire to recover and study that material, and also the community spirit to do it,' Saunders said. Uncovered after 250 years The wreck was discovered in February 2024 after a storm swept away sand covering it on Sanday, one of the rugged Orkney Islands that lie off Scotland's northern tip. It excited interest on the island of 500 people, whose history is bound up with the sea and its dangers. Around 270 shipwrecks have been recorded around the 20-square-mile island since the 15th century. Local farmers used their tractors and trailers to haul the 12 tons of oak timbers off the beach, before local researchers set to work trying to identify it. 4 Ben Saunders, Senior Marine Archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology studies a timber sample used for the scientific analysis of the Sanday Wreck. Archaeologists have identified a 250-year-old shipwreck as a former Royal Navy vessel. Historic Environment Scotland / SWNS 'That was really good fun, and it was such a good feeling about the community – everybody pulling together to get it back,' said Sylvia Thorne, one of the island's community researchers. 'Quite a few people are really getting interested in it and becoming experts.' Dendrochronology — the science of dating wood from tree rings — showed the timber came from southern England in the middle of the 18th century. That was one bit of luck, Saunders said, because it coincides with 'the point where British bureaucracy's really starting to kick off' and detailed records were being kept. 'And so we can then start to look at the archive evidence that we have for the wrecks in Orkney,' Saunders said. 'It becomes a process of elimination. 'You remove ones that are Northern European as opposed to British, you remove wrecks that are too small or operating out of the north of England and you really are down to two or three … and Earl of Chatham is the last one left.' 4 Saunders from Wessex Archaeology supervises the Sanday Wreck timbers as they are placed in a freshwater tank to preserve them. Orkney Islands Counci / SWNS Wars and whaling Further research found that before it was the Earl of Chatham, the ship was HMS Hind, a 24-gun Royal Navy frigate built in Chichester on England's south coast in 1749. Its military career saw it play a part in the expansion — and contraction — of the British Empire. It helped Britain wrest control of Canada from France during the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec in the 1750s, and in the 1770s served as a convoy escort during Britain's failed effort to hold onto its American colonies. Sold off by the navy in 1784 and renamed, the vessel became a whaling ship, hunting the huge mammals in the Arctic waters off Greenland. Whale oil was an essential fuel of the Industrial Revolution, used to lubricate machinery, soften fabric and light city streets. Saunders said that in 1787 there were 120 London-based whaling ships in the Greenland Sea, the Earl of Chatham among them. 4 The Sanday Wreck on the shores of Sanday in February 2024. Wessex Archaeology / SWNS A year later, while heading out to the whaling ground, it was wrecked in bad weather off Sanday. All 56 crew members survived — more evidence, Saunders says, that this was a vessel blessed with luck. Community effort The ship's timbers are being preserved in a freshwater tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre while plans are discussed to put it on permanent display. Saunders said that the project is a model of community involvement in archaeology. 'The community have been so keen, have been so desirous to be involved and to find out things to learn, and they're so proud of it. It's down to them it was discovered, it's down to them it was recovered and it's been stabilized and been protected,' he said. For locals, it's a link to the island's maritime past — and future. Finding long-buried wrecks could become more common as climate change alters the wind patterns around Britain and reshapes the coastline. 'One of the biggest things I've got out of this project is realizing how much the past in Sanday is just constantly with you — either visible or just under the surface,' said Ruth Peace, another community researcher.
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a day ago
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Archaeologists uncover identity of 1700s Orkney shipwreck
Archaeologists have uncovered the identity of a 1700s vessel shipwrecked in Orkney. Expert say the vessel discovered on the island of Sanday last year is most likely the Earl of Chatham, a former Royal Navy vessel called HMS Hind that was later renamed once it became a whaling ship. Historic Environment Scotland (HSE), which funded the research, said the sixth-rate 24-gun frigate saw many years of active service, including sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec in the 1750s and the American Revolutionary War in the late 1770s. Once it was decommissioned, it was sold and renamed the Earl of Chatham, becoming a 500-tonne whaling ship. HSE said this was common for Royal Navy ships because their build quality allowed them to withstand the icy conditions of British whaling routes. As the Earl of Chatham, it completed four seasons in the Arctic before ultimately meeting its end in the Bay of Lopness in March 1788. It carried 56 sailors on board at the time, all of whom survived. Wessex Archaeology, along with with Dendrochronicle and volunteer community researchers, began working on its origins following its discovery in February 2024. Analysis of the wood determined the ship was built with timber from south and south-west England. Archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology, local community researchers, and the Sanday Heritage Centre then spent several months working with archives and community records to find the most likely candidate for the ship. This research was also supported by Sanday Heritage Group and Orkney Archaeology Society. The Sanday Wreck was revealed last year thanks to changes in the climate. Increased storminess and unusual wind patterns led to removal of the covering sands which had hidden and protected the wreck for centuries. Changes to coastlines, which are predicted to accelerate in coming decades, could make similar finds more common. Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, said: 'It is thanks to our dedicated team of community researchers and the evidence they have gathered that means we have been able to identify the Sanday Wreck with a reasonable degree of confidence. 'Throughout this project, we have learned so much about the wreck, but also about the community in Sanday in the 1780s. 'Sanday was infamous for shipwrecks at the time, called 'the cradle of shipwrecks in Scotland', but the community was equally well-known for its hospitability as it looked after sailors who fell afoul of the area's stormy seas. 'We are grateful to the support from our partners, and we're delighted to be able to share our work on this intriguing wreck.' Alison Turnbull, director of external relations and partnerships at HES, said: 'The discovery of the Sanday Wreck is a rare and fascinating story. 'Wessex Archaeology worked closely with the community of Sanday to discover the ship's identity, which shows that communities hold the keys to their own heritage. 'It is our job to empower communities to make these discoveries and be able to tell the story of their historic environment. 'We are proud to have grant-funded this work, which supports both Scotland's archaeology strategy of making archaeology matter, and Scotland's national strategy for the historic environment – Our Past, Our Future.' Nick Hewitt, culture team manager for Orkney Islands Council, added: 'It has been a wonderful team effort so far between many and one we're proud to have been a part of, and will continue to be as we support the Sanday community explore the future possibilities for their wreck.' The timbers are currently housed in a freshwater tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre to conserve them. There visitors can find out more about the wreck's story and Sanday's history.
