Captain Cook’s long lost ship may have finally been uncovered, sunken off the coast of America.

The shipwrecked Endeavour was used by Cook to “discover” Australia – and was eventually used as a prison ship, before being lost to history.

Maritime archaeologists now believe they’ve found it in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.

It marks the beginning of the end to a decades-long search for the ship, which was intentionally destroyed by the British in the late 18th century.

Experts still need to positively identify the ship, and say it could take months or years to verify its identity.

But scans and samples have been collected by researchers who hope they’re on to a winning discovery.

“We do not think we are going to find something that says ‘Captain Cook slept here’ — that is not likely,” said Kathy Abbass, of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, speaking to Live Science.

“But if we find some of the smaller stuff that is consistent with how we know she was used — as a transport and as a prison ship in Newport, then we know we have got her.

more at thesun.co.uk