Archaeologists ‘find captain James Cook’s HMS Endeavour’ solving one of the greatest ever maritime mysteries
There are now plans to try and excavate the sunken vessel next year - the 250th anniversary of his arrival in Oz
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have found the final resting place of Captain James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour off the East Coast of America.
The possible discovery of the ship Cook sailed to Australia could solve one of the greatest ever maritime mysteries.
Archaeologists from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (Rimap) think they have located the resting place of the famous vessel which carried Cook to Australia in 1770.
The ship was later used in the American war of independence where it was scuttled, along with 12 other vessels, off Newport, Rhode Island in August 1778 to act as a blockade.
There are now plans to try and excavate the sunken vessel next year - the 250th anniversary of his arrival in Oz, according to .
Britain could stake a claim for the wreckage to be housed in the UK.
Australian National Maritime Museum and Rimap will release 3D images of the wreck site.
It is thought to be located just off Goat Island, a small island in the Narragansett Bay.
Kathy Abbass, director of the , told Fairfax Media: "We can say we think we know which one it is.
"It is exciting, we are closing in.
"This is a vessel that is significant to people around the world."
Divers are currently working to confirm whether one of five shipwrecks in the area is the Endeavour.
The vessel was made of oak and pine in the north of England and has been under the waves for more than 200 years.
The rip-roaring history behind HMS Endeavour
The Endeavour was purchased by the British Navy in 1768 for a scientific mission to the Pacific Ocean.
A crew was tasked with finding the mysterious southern continent then known as Terra Australis.
Captain James Cook left Plymouth in August 1768
He travelled through the Pacific Islands before arriving in New Zealand in September 1769.
In April 1770, Endeavour became the first ship to reach the east coast of mainland Australia.
Cook landed at the site now known as Botany Bay.
The Endeavour was sold in 1775 and renamed Lord Sandwich 2.
It was hired as a British troop transport during the American War of Independence.
The ship was sunk during a blockade off Rhode Island in 1778.
Scientists are not sure what condition the wreck will be in once it is extracted from the sea bed.
The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission is now the custodian of the shipwrecks.
The US Space Shuttle Endeavour is named after the ship.
The Endeavour made it into the history books as the first European ship to reach the east coast of Australia at what is now called Botany Bay.
Approximately one month after his return, Cook was promoted to the rank of Commander.
In November 1771, he was sent on a second expedition aboard HMS Resolution.
He was killed during an altercation with Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay on 14 February 1779.
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