What is some information about James Cook's boat Endeavour?

Answer 1

The HM Bark Endeavour was an ex-collier bought by the English navy and converted for use in exploration. Initially launched in 1764 as the Earl of Pembroke, it was bought by the Navy is 1768 specifically for the purpose of being used in a scientific mission to the Pacific Ocean (observing the transit of Venus from the best vantage point, which was Tahiti), and to explore for the Terra Australis Incognita or "unknown southern land."

The Endeavour, under Captain James Cook's command, was the first European vessel to reach Australia's eastern coast, where it was used to chart the unknown coastline. Cape Tribulation, in far North Queensland, was named by Captain Cook after the Endeavour struck the reef and nearly sank. The Endeavour managed to stay afloat for another week whilst the crew sought desperately for land, eventually sighting the harbour formed by the Endeavour River. The ship was landed on 10 June 1770, and Cook spent almost two months repairing it.

Following Cook's first voyage of exploration, the Endeavour was used for ferrying Navy supplies to the Falkland Islands. After being sold to a private enterprise in 1775, the Endeavour was purposely scuttled in a blockade of Narragansett Bay at Rhode Island in 1778, during the American Revolution. The precise whereabouts of the wreckage of the Endeavour are unknown, but several items were salvaged from the ship, and are on display in various maritime museums around the world. A replica of the Endeavour is displayed in the Australian National Maritime Museum at Sydney Harbour, Australia.