After Captain James Cook arrived in Australia with HM Bark efforts, the Australian National Maritime Museum published a final report on the ship's resting place.

The museum published a preliminary report in 2022 saying the wreckage of Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, was a sandwich, formerly known as the endeavor.

The museum is confident in its identification, but has some transatlantic impetus, and the museum continues to study it for three years.

Museum director Daryl Karp said Wednesday it relies on the conclusions of 2022 – the climax of 25 years of research.

Cook began its hard sailing in 1768 and arrived on the coast of New South Wales in 1770.

The report notes that for some, this voyage "reflects the spirit of the European Enlightenment."

“For others, it symbolizes the beginning of colonization and the conquest of the natives.”

The museum began working with the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) in 1999 to find the wreckage of the area where the ship was deliberately sunk in 1778 to block the French during the American War of Independence.

The researchers narrowed the search to Shipwreck RI 2394 before collecting enough evidence to meet the identification criteria.

The researchers studied the ship's history and other ships that were stripped at the port, examining the hull and other evidence, such as the use of white oak, its length, evidence for repairs, and superimposed evidence in the original ship plan.

In February 2022, the museum announced that it had found the "last resting place" of the ship.

Kevin Sumapting, then director, said he convinced the archaeological evidence that it was an effort.

"Before I feel able to call, I have to confirm the last part of the puzzle," he said.

But RIMAP researchers questioned this, saying more work is needed. American organizations blame the so-called "premature" announcement on "Australian sentiment or politics."

On Wednesday, the museum acknowledged that RIMAP did not exclude other sites and paid tribute to its "fine historical analysis and detailed manual records."

The final confirmation, Cape said, was “the climax of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological research on this important ship.”

"It involves underwater surveys in the United States and extensive research by institutions around the world," she said.

“The final report marks our authoritative statement of the project.”

The museum recommends doing more to protect the site (there are reports of boatworms and griworms eating wood), the research continues and an educational program should be launched.