Could a Missing Ship from the 1700’s be in Rhode Island?

It's the ship that helped Captain Cook sail around the world and it's been missing since 1778. Now researchers say it could be on the ocean floor near Rhode Island.

What exactly happened to the H.M.S. Endeavor has been a nautical mystery for hundreds of years. But new research shows it could be a stone's throw from Newport Harbor.

ABC6 reports that the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Museum and the Australian National Maritime Museum have worked together to solve this missing ship mystery. And they think they have now found the historic vessel.

Wreckage located just outside of Newport Harbor could very well prove to be the Endeavor and researchers hope to confirm their findings within the next year.

3-D images have been taken and now the final verification will come down to studying construction records of the Endeavour and comparing them to the wreckage.

The ship was the one used by Captain Cook when he claimed Australia as part of Britain, so for them this is like finding the Mayflower or one of Columbus' ships.

So how did it end up in Newport of all places?

Well after sailing the world, the H.M.S. Endeavor was used as part of a British barricade to protect against the French. It also served time as a prisoner transport in Newport Harbor before being sunk by French forces in 1778.

So although confirmation hasn't been made yet, there is plenty of historical fact to show this wreckage recovered off the coast of Rhode Island could in fact be the legendary ship.