One of the great maritime mysteries was finally solved in 2025, after the discovery of the long-lost ship HMS Endeavour at the bottom of Newport Harbor, where it lay undisturbed for nearly 250 years. Between 1768 and 1771, the ship carried British sea captain James Cook on the first of his famous voyages of discovery, when he became the first European to reach Australia's east coast.

Subsequently sunk during the American Revolutionary War, the wreck's identity was confirmed after a comparison with a 1768 survey of the ship, which returned an exact match. Pictured here is an artist's impression from that same year.

Now discover more incredible ancient ruins in the US you probably didn't know about

America’s most important archaeological discoveries