There ’s freehanded drama going down in the world of maritime archeology . The Australian National Maritime Museum ( ANMM ) has boldly declared they have get wind the shipwreck ofHMS Endeavour , the first European ship to reach what ’s known today as Australia and New Zealand .
In apress conferenceheld in Sydney this break of the day , Kevin Sumption , chief executive of ANMM told reporter : " I am satisfied that this is the final resting place of one of the most important and contentious vessels in Australia ’s marine history . "
However , the Rhode Island Marine Archeology Project ( RIMAP ) is n’t so sure . It released a rebuttal claim the proclamation of the shipwreck ’s breakthrough is “ untimely ” and driven by “ Australian emotions . ”
Under the bidding of British then - Lieutenant James Cook , HMS Endeavourreached the east seacoast of Australia in April 1770 , marking the commencement of the European colonization of Australasia and the South Pacific . The deputation was originally a scientific expedition to Tahiti to observe the 1769 transportation system of Venus across the Sun , but it later embarked on a“secret assignment”to identify and capture newfangled soil for the British Empire .
The ship ended its liveliness on the other side of the planet . After being privately sell and vary work force a few times , the ship was used as a British troop raptus during the American War of Independence . It was by choice sunk by the British in 1778 around Newport Harbor in Rhode Island , along with four other ships , although the exact position of its demise has long remained a secret .
TheANMMnow claims the wreck has been key after lay in obscurity for 100 . Through an ongoing 22 - year - tenacious project , archaeologist found the wreck of five ships in Newport Harbor that boast clear-cut cutting jam in their hulls , suggest they were intentionally scuttled , just as records show . Based on the sizing of one of the wreck located about 500 meters off the coast and 14 metre , known as RI 2394 , the ANMM team believes they may have discovered the remains ofEndeavour .
" We will never find anything on this site that screamsEndeavour . We will never find a sign saying , ‘ Cook was here ’ . We will never see a ship ’s bell withEndeavourcrossed out and Lord Sandwich inscribed on it , ” Kieran Hosty , ANMM nautical archeologist , said in astatement . “ We call on the ‘ preponderance of evidence ’ where we ’ve got a whole serial publication of things that link up intoEndeavour . And so far , we ’ve notice lots of thing that tick the boxes for it to be theEndeavourand nothing on the web site which says it ’s not . "
RIMAP , which also work on this project , take issue with this closing . In astatement , RIMAP ’s executive director D. K. Abbass suggests the ANMM is being too hasty with its assumptions , reason there is currently “ no incontestable information found to establish the web site is that iconic vessel , ” and that the announcement breach a declaration between the two institute on how they conduct and share their inquiry .
" RIMAP recognizes the connection between Australian citizen of British descent and the Endeavour , but RIMAP ’s conclusion will be force back by proper scientific process and not Australian emotions or politics , " Abbas sound out .
The ANMM has doubled down and issued a response to RIMAP , say they look forward to publish a peer - reviewed report on their determination .
“ base on archival and archaeological evidence , I ’m convinced it ’s theEndeavour , " Sumption stated patently in the news group discussion .
“ Although only around 15 percent of the vessel remains , the focus is now on what can be done to protect and preserve it . ”
Captain Cook made landfall in theEndeavorat Botany Bay in what is now Sydney and claimed the part for the British poll , despite the Indigenous communitiesalready established . The ship has been controversial for over 250 years and shows no sign of rent up .
