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| https://www.sea.museum/explore/maritime-archaeology/deep-dive/finding-endeavour |
In 1788 during the American War of Independence a British troop transport & prison ship believed to have once been styled His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour was deliberately sunk along with six other vessels across the outer entrance to Newport Harbour, in an attempt to stop America’s ally France from taking possession of the town during the Siege of Newport.
The graveyard of these wrecked ships were rediscovered in modern times and are now the subject of archeological investigation begun in 1993 on what is a complex site. The Australian National Maritime Museum has been part of on-site investigations for the last four years.
Approximately 15 per cent of one particular wreck is relatively intact while the remainder of that ship lies scattered across one section of the seabed to the north of Goat Island. It is now known as RI 2394 and is possibly Lieutenant (later Commander) James Cook's former command
HMB Endeavour.
It appears that prior to being scuttled RI 2394 was stripped of all fixtures of value and thus has no clear identifying features remaining except for its now predominately disconnected broken timbers.
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| Part of what Australian authorities believe is James Cook’s famous vessel. IMAGE: ABC News |
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| Pre-disturbance mapping of RI 2394 The Search for Capt. Cook's Endeavour in Newport Harbour Dr. D.K. Abbass PhD in The Redwood Library & Athenæum Magazine ETC., Winter 2019 |
To date RI 2394 has only been identified as "the most likely to be the Lord Sandwich ex Endeavour®". A sufficient level of archeological findings has not yet been produced.
Nevertheless, the federal government owned Australian National Maritime Museum – one of the research partners in the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project apparently decided sometime between 1- 2 February 2022 to issue a media release which resulted in similarly worded articles being published online by the The Senior, Daily Liberal Leader, Shepperton News, U.K. Daily Mail, and Australian National Geographic on 3 February 2022.
Australian Community Media’s Daily Liberal Leader, 3 February 2022:
British explorer James Cook's ship Endeavour has been identified after languishing in US waters for more than two centuries.
Cook famously sailed the ship around the South Pacific before landing on the east coast of Australia in 1770.
Australian National Maritime Museum CEO Kevin Sumption announced that after a 22-year program of archival and archaeological research, "we can conclusively confirm that this is indeed the wreck of Cook's Endeavour".
"This is an important moment," he told reporters at National Maritime Museum in Sydney on Thursday.
"It is arguably one of the most important vessels in our maritime history."
The ship played an important role in exploration, astronomy and science and was an important artefact in the history of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and now the US, he said.
A "preponderance of evidence" had led to the conclusion that an archaeological site known as RI2394 in Newport Harbour, Rhode Island, "does indeed comprise of the shipwreck of HM Bark Endeavour," he said.
Since 1999 maritime archaeologists have been investigating several 18th century shipwrecks in a two square mile area of Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.
The Endeavour was scuttled there by the British 244 years ago and lay forgotten for more than two centuries.
Although only about 15 per cent of the vessel remains, several details on the wreck convinced archaeologists they had found Endeavour after matching structural details and the shape of the remains to those on 18th century plans of the ship.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher applauded the discovery, saying it fulfilled the museum's mission to record and display the story of Australia's maritime heritage.
"What the museum has done ... over 20 years to verify the location of the vessel ... is of extraordinary importance", he said…… [my yellow highlighting]
However, this ‘historic’ co-announcement by the National Maritime Museum and the Morrison Government appears to be somewhat premature as I can find no published record of Mr. Sumption's confirmed discovery claim*, nor did he cite any publication date. It seems he was in something of a rush to inform the world.
*It should be noted that in his LinkedIn entry Kevin Sumption lays no claim to having qualifications directly related to archeology or to having been employed as an archeologist. His skills lie in museum management, planning, projects & exhibitions.
And then there is this......
STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - D.K. ABBASS PhD:
February 2, 2022
The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) report that the Endeavour has been identified is premature. The Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) is now and always has been the lead organization for the study in Newport harbor. The ANMM announcement today is a breach of the contract between RIMAP and the ANMM for the conduct of this research and how its results are to be shared with the public. What we see on the shipwreck site under study is consistent with what might be expected of the Endeavour, but there has been no indisputable data found to prove the site is that iconic vessel, and there are many unanswered questions that could overturn such an identification. When the study is done, RIMAP will post the legitimate report on its website at: www.rimap.org. Meanwhile, RIMAP recognizes the connection between Australian citizens of British descent and the Endeavour, but RIMAP's conclusions will be driven by proper scientific process and not Australian emotions or politics.
One can’t help but suspect that there is one particular person who will be disappointed in how the National Maritime Museum's announcement is going down.
That person is Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison, the well-known fan of all things 'Captain' Cook & Endeavour.
Who it happens is also a prime minister in search of feelgood election campaign stories which might allow him to bathe momentarily in a little reflected glory.
Now faced with the prospect that quite a few voters might believe that this particular 'historic' Endeavour announcement was a somewhat hysterical attempt on the part of PMO staff to present a different media narrative in order to paper over the very recent revelations that certain members of Morrison's own party see him as “a horrible, horrible person”, “just obsessed with petty political point scoring”, “a complete psycho”, “desperate and jealous”, and that “the mob have worked him out and think he’s a fraud”.
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