Latest news with #RI2394
American Military News
20-06-2025
- General
- American Military News
Captain Cook's lost ship found off Rhode Island coast
The Australian National Maritime Museum recently announced the discovery of Captain James Cook's iconic shipwreck off the coast of Rhode Island, bringing a conclusion to a 250-year-old mystery. In a report published on June 3, the Australian National Maritime Museum explained that historical and archaeological evidence collected as part of an extensive project that spanned over two decades has led researchers to conclude that the RI 2394 shipwreck site in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, is Cook's 'HMS Endeavour,' which was later renamed the 'Lord Sandwich' when the ship was used by the British. 'This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel,' Australian National Maritime Museum Director Daryl Karp said. Karp described the report as a 'definitive statement' regarding the search for the HMS Endeavour, which the Australian National Maritime Museum launched in 1999. The museum's director added that the search has 'involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe.' According to The New York Post, the HMS Endeavour became famous for becoming the first European ship to circumnavigate New Zealand and land in the eastern part of Australia as part of an expedition that took place between 1768 and 1771. READ MORE: Pics: Two shipwrecks confirmed as slave ships by archaeologists Fox News reported that the iconic ship was later intentionally sunk off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, in an effort to prevent attacks by America and France. The outlet noted that while researchers have known that the shipwreck of the HMS Endeavor was located off the coast of Rhode Island, the exact location of the shipwreck remained a mystery for roughly 250 years. According to the report, the shipwreck, which is located between 39 and 43 feet underwater, features a 'linear stone ballast pile, the eastern periphery of which features a line of partially exposed frame ends that are closely spaced and of substantial size.' 'Four iron cannons are also present on the site,' the museum added in the report. 'Two are largely exposed above the seabed and lie immediately adjacent to one another on the western side of the site.' The museum's report explains that by 2019, an investigation of the different shipwrecks located in the region led researchers to believe that RI 2394 was the 'most likely candidate' for the HMS Endeavour shipwreck. According to the report, the shipwreck's location satisfies 10 criteria previously agreed upon by different experts. According to the report, the measurements of the RI 2394 shipwreck also match the measurements recorded in a 1768 survey of the iconic ship.
NDTV
18-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
Captain Cook's Long-Lost Ship Found After 250 Years. Here's Where It Was Finally Discovered
After 250 years, the long-lost ship of Captain James Cook, HMS Endeavour, has finally been discovered off the coast of Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. Originally the first European vessel to reach eastern Australia (1768-1771), it was later renamed Lord Sandwich and sank during the American War of Independence in 1778. The Australian National Maritime Museum confirmed the find after 25 years of underwater exploration and archaeological research, identifying the wreck as RI 2394 based on matching dimensions from Cook's 1768 survey. "This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel," said museum director Daryl Karp of the document, which he described as the "definitive statement" on the project, Pen News reported. "It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe." According to the New York Post, the sunken remains then lay at the bottom of the ocean for 2 and half centuries until experts formally matched the ship with a wreck dubbed RI 2394, which was located in Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. Researchers were able to confirm that it was indeed Cook's lost ship by comparing the wreckage with the vessel's historic plans, finding that the placement of certain timbers was a dead ringer for the locations of its main and fore masts in the outline. Meanwhile, the wreck's measurements matched those taken during a 1768 survey of the Endeavour. "The size of all the timber scantlings are almost identical to Endeavour, and I'm talking within millimetres - not inches, but millimetres," declared Australian National Maritime Museum archaeologist Kieran Hosty. "The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical." He added, "This stem scarf is also a very unique feature - we've gone through a whole bunch of 18th-century ship's plans, and we can't find anything else like it."
The Advertiser
03-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'I couldn't believe it': location of Captain Cook's HMB Endeavour finalised
It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, 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." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, 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." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, 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." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, 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." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum
