# Captain Cook's HMS Endeavor Discovered after 230 Years
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 3, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760 "2016-05-03T05:15:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/1 "2016-05-03T05:15:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Captain Cook’s famous ship has seemingly been discovered in the US 230 years since it was sold, sunk and forgotten. The Endeavour is one of the most famous ships in naval history and was used by Captain James Cook to discover the East Coast of Australia in 1770.
>
> The last sighting of the Endeavour was around 1778 when it is believed the ship was sold, renamed the Lord Sandwich, and then used to transport British troops during the American Revolution.
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> Archaeologists believe they have found the scuttled remains of the Endeavour just off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island in Narragansett Bay…The Endeavour was discovered alongside 13 other ships in a massive archaeological investigation that combined high-tech mapping of the seabed with analysis of historical shipping documents found in London…
> **[Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour has been found in the United States](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3568740/Captain-Cook-s-HMS-Endeavour-United-States.html)**
>
> Archaeologists believe they have found the scuttled remains of Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour in Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. The ship was last sighted 230 years ago.
Interesting. I am surprised it was not discovered before now. Why not?
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/2 "2016-05-03T12:44:12Z")
It’s quite possible there was local knowledge that there was a lot of old wooden ship debris in that area. But doing the research to realize that (a) the debris came from deliberate enemy action in the Revolutionary War, (b) one of the wrecks was the Lord Sandwich, which © was previously the HMS Endeavour didn’t happen until this particular project.
I have a book of Rhode Island dive sites somewhere. I’ll take a look to see if it mentions wooden wrecks anywhere in Newport harbor. They must have scuttled them in shallow water if the intent was to block the harbor.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/3 "2016-05-03T17:37:54Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> Interesting. I am surprised it was not discovered before now. Why not?
Nobody endeavored to look for it?
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/4 "2016-05-03T18:29:08Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> Nobody endeavored to look for it?
Sumbitch was GOOD at hide-and-seek.
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### Author:  [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/5 "2016-05-03T18:29:37Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> [Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour has been found in the United States | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3568740/Captain-Cook-s-HMS-Endeavour-United-States.html)
>
> Interesting. I am surprised it was not discovered before now. Why not?
New England waters are cold, dark, and murky and there are literally hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast. And, aside from its historical significance, this is just one more wooden ship that went down along the coast. Even in 1778, it was no big deal.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/6 "2016-05-03T19:20:27Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> Nobody endeavored to look for it?
Perhaps it was sandwiched between two other ships.
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### Author:  [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/7 "2016-05-03T20:12:40Z")
Cook’s ship? Smells fishy.
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/8 "2016-05-03T22:08:39Z")
> [@Finagle](#):
>
> New England waters are cold, dark, and murky and there are literally hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast. And, aside from its historical significance, this is just one more wooden ship that went down along the coast. Even in 1778, it was no big deal.
So, the area isn’t scenic enough to attract casual divers?
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### Author:  [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/9 "2016-05-03T22:56:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Captain Cook’s HMS **Endeavor** Discovered after 230 Years
Endeavour.
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### Author:  [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/10 "2016-05-03T23:45:56Z")
As I understand, the wreck isn’t in open water, it was sunk as a blockade ship in Newport Harbor. There are a bunch of wrecks (or what’s left of them) in that area. I used to dive for lobster there with my father 30-odd years ago, we found several piles of ballast on the bottom.
But yeah, there’s a lot of junk sitting on the bottom that’s really indistinguishable from a traditional “wreck.”
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### Author:  [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/11 "2016-05-03T23:56:03Z")
Ugh, indistinguishable was the wrong word there. It’s indistinguishable from a pile of junk, not at all looking like a traditional wreck.
That’s what I get for posting and talking at the same time.
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### Author:  [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/12 "2016-05-04T02:45:22Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> Interesting. I am surprised it was not discovered before now. Why not?
Lots of wrecks out there and poor documentation. Even in places where they (ships) were sunk as a form of moth-balling, finding a specific wreck or almost any wreck can take ages and a lot of dollars. Is someone with deep pockets willing to front the bill when no treasure is involved?
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/13 "2016-05-04T02:49:11Z")
> [@kopek](#):
>
> Lots of wrecks out there and poor documentation. Even in places where they (ships) were sunk as a form of moth-balling, finding a specific wreck or almost any wreck can take ages and a lot of dollars. Is someone with deep pockets willing to front the bill when no treasure is involved?
I would have thought this would be quite important to Australians.
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### Author:  [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/14 "2016-05-04T03:55:35Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> I would have thought this would be quite important to Australians.
Important and paying for searching for it are two different things; especially when the resting place isn’t in your waters. I was involved in a lot of the roll-up to the 250th French & Indian War things related to Fort DuQuesne. Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu, who is considered a major hero in parts of Canada, was killed at the Battle of the Monongahela and buried in the cemetery outside the fort. We got letters and all kinds of offers of support for efforts to find the cemetery and that grave in particular from the highest levels of government and business in Canada. And our mayor at that time was willing. But when it came time to write a check ------ crickets. Dead silence. Major expenses and no real promise of success? Something that hadn’t already turned up in 250 years? And we’re talking a small area of dry land. So in a big ocean with less of a paper trail to follow I’m just not very surprised.
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/15 "2016-05-04T15:56:05Z")
> [@kopek](#):
>
> Important and paying for searching for it are two different things; especially when the resting place isn’t in your waters. I was involved in a lot of the roll-up to the 250th French & Indian War things related to Fort DuQuesne. Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu, who is considered a major hero in parts of Canada, was killed at the Battle of the Monongahela and buried in the cemetery outside the fort. We got letters and all kinds of offers of support for efforts to find the cemetery and that grave in particular from the highest levels of government and business in Canada. And our mayor at that time was willing. But when it came time to write a check ------ crickets. Dead silence. Major expenses and no real promise of success? Something that hadn’t already turned up in 250 years? And we’re talking a small area of dry land. So in a big ocean with less of a paper trail to follow I’m just not very surprised.
I wonder if a Kickstarter would work for that. I’d kick in twenty.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/16 "2016-05-04T16:20:46Z")
It’s interesting that nobody at that time thought it important enough to preserve it. Have British attitude towards inanimate historical objects changed much since then? Or just more biased towards military/royalty? (I note that HMS Victory is from that era, and is not only preserved, but still commissioned.)
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/17 "2016-05-04T16:45:07Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> It’s interesting that nobody at that time thought it important enough to preserve it. Have British attitude towards inanimate historical objects changed much since then? Or just more biased towards military/royalty? (I note that HMS Victory is from that era, and is not only preserved, but still commissioned.)
But the Victory was still being used as an active warship for several years after Trafalgar, then used as a depot ship for decades - they didn’t just turn her into a museum ship immediately. It’s quite possible that had the Endeavour survived for a hundred years it would eventually have been preserved too.
Plus, at the time, being the flagship at one of the greatest British naval victories ever seemed a little more important than being the ship that was used to explore some interesting islands halfway around the world.
ETA: Read the wikipedia article on the Victory - it was basically sitting in Portsmouth Harbor for a hundred years, and decaying at it’s moorings. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that interest in preserving her for historical reasons really began.
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### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/18 "2016-05-04T16:49:28Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> Perhaps it was sandwiched between two other ships.
Atsa wrap.
> [@Penfeather](#):
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> Endeavour.
Holy Smoke! You found it again…!
> [@Finagle](#):
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> New England waters are cold, dark, and murky
Its all those tourists, but what are you gonna do…?
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### Author:  [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/19 "2016-05-04T18:38:45Z")
I’ve been following this with interest, being a Rhode Icelander and always interested in history.
What is known now through Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project’s (RIMAP) research in historic archives:
- During Cook’s first voyage, he wrecked _The Endeavour_ on reefs on the shores of Australia
- Upon returning to England it was refitted as a naval transport, and Cook obtained a new ship
- \*The Endeavour \*was used to transport supplies to the Falklands in 1772
- It was then sold in 1775, and renamed _Lord Sandwich_
- By chance it was moored in Newport Harbor in 1778, and sunk by the British to blockade the harbor from advancing French ships - in all it was believed 13 ships were sunk at that time
By the time it was sunk, it’s easy to understand how no one would even consider the importance of a transport at the time of the sinking.
Cook has some importance to America too, as he was the “first to Discover” Hawaii, and died in the islands he had named Sandwich Islands.
[http://www.rimap.org/SitePages/Home.aspx](http://www.rimap.org/SitePages/Home.aspx)
> [@](#):
>
> On May 4 RIMAP will describe its 2016 plans to confirm the 5th shipwreck in the limited study area, and will outline what must be done in the future to determine which of the 5 sites there is which ship…The ships in Newport were scuttled in the days leading up to the August 1778 Battle of Rhode Island in Portsmouth, and RIMAP hopes to build its facility at Butts Hill Fort, the center of the American line during that Battle.
>
> May 4, 2016, is Rhode Island’s 240th birthday because it is the anniversary of the Rhode Island Colonial legislature’s disavowal of loyalty to the King of England on May 4, 1776. That was two months before all the colonies issued the formal Declaration of Independence…So for RIMAP to be closing in one of the most important shipwrecks in world history, for that ship to be found in Newport, and for it to have an international reputation, should be an intriguing birthday gift for all of Rhode Island.
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### Author:  [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-cooks-hms-endeavor-discovered-after-230-years/753760/20 "2016-05-04T19:25:02Z")
> [@Yllaria](#):
>
> So, the area isn’t scenic enough to attract casual divers?
Above or below water? Newport is plenty scenic. But visibility in New England waters is maybe four or five feet. Also, depending on the location, New England coastal waters can be pretty rough and Newport is one of the windier areas. So, unless you like mud, murk, and lobsters – no, not really all that attractive for diving.
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