AH-WR-1482

Lord Sandwich

Transport (Former Bark (or Barque)) · Great Britain · Lost 1778 · Narragansett Bay & the Rhode Island Coast

Once Captain Cook's Endeavour, she was renamed Lord Sandwich and scuttled in Newport Harbor in 1778.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The Whitby collier Earl of Pembroke was bought by the Royal Navy in 1768 and renamed Endeavour, carrying James Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific. Later sold and renamed Lord Sandwich, she served as a British transport in the American Revolution. In August 1778 she was among the ships scuttled in Newport Harbor to block a French fleet. Which wreck in the harbor is hers is still debated.

Vessel

Built: 1764
Builder: Not established
Yard: Whitby, England
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail, ship rig
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: August 3, 1778
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Newport Harbor, Rhode Island
Water: Narragansett Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.49° N 71.33° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Newport, Rhode Island
Region: Narragansett Bay & the Rhode Island Coast

Pin marks the named place of loss, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Which of the scuttled wrecks in Newport Harbor is Lord Sandwich has been proposed but is not universally accepted.

Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project
Newport transport wreck survey and identification work.
Australian National Maritime Museum
Endeavour history and identification research.
Naval History and Heritage Command
1778 Newport scuttling context.