Captain Cook, known as the first European to reach Australia, made his fateful journey on a ship called the Endeavor, and experts believe they may have found it.
Despite being an important part of history, Captain Cook’s ship wasn’t retired after reaching Australia. It still had plenty of miles left to sail. Once it had reached the eastern coast and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand, it was repurposed.
After dropping off the first blonde mullet sporting bloke armed with a cooler full of Tooheys, it was sold. In 1975, Captain Cook’s ship was renamed the Lord Sandwich and used as a troop transport. For the rest of its service, it was utilized against the unruly US colonials during their War of Independence.
Eventually, the ship was scuttled off the coast of Rhode Island in an attempt to create a block. The legendary vessel was sunken and forgotten about, until recently, when diving archeologists uncovered what they are almost certain is the remains of Captain Cook’s ship.
Captain Cook’s Ship Left to Rot
When a ship is scuttled, it is stripped of anything of value. This includes all personal effects and identifying markings such as the ship’s bell. However, when Captain Cook’s ship was built, it was before the days of mass production. This means that it was made by hand and had many identifying features in its construction.
Experts are able to look at the precise measurements of the timber, as well as the wood used, and come to a pretty solid conclusion. “The timbers are British timbers. The size of all the timber scantlings is almost identical to Endeavour, and I’m talking within millimetres – not inches, but millimetres,” ANMM archaeologist, Kieran Hosty, said.
The specific measurements and construction of Captain Cook’s ship were quite unique, according to historians. This has lent further evidence to suggest that the wreck found off the coast of Rhode Island is the one responsible for the downfall of the Aboriginal peoples.
“The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical. This stem scarf is also a very unique feature. We’ve gone through a whole bunch of 18th-century ship plans, and we can’t find anything else like it.”
We should send a bunch of billionaires down there to take a look in a flimsy submarine.