James Hunter is the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Curator of Naval Heritage and Archaeology, and he’ll be giving a fascinating presentation about the famed Endeavour on the ANZ/Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
James received his PhD in maritime archaeology from Flinders University in 2012, and MA in history and historical archaeology from the University of West Florida in 2001.
He has been involved in the fields of historical and maritime archaeology for over two decades and participated in the investigation of several internationally significant shipwreck sites in the United States, including the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and the Emanuel Point Shipwreck, a Spanish galleon wrecked in Pensacola Bay, Florida, in 1559.
James’ doctoral research explored the history and archaeology of torpedo boat defences utilised by the colonial and early national navies of Australia and New Zealand. He was appointed to his role at the museum in January 2015, and has participated in several of its maritime archaeology projects, including shipwreck surveys of Australia’s first submarine AE1 in Papua New Guinea, the World War Two light cruiser HMAS Perth (I) in Indonesia, and the search for, and identification of, the wreck site of James Cook’s HMB Endeavour in the United States.
The title of James' talks on the Inspiration / ANZ Stage will be:
Finding Endeavour: Using Archives and Archaeology to Identify an Iconic Shipwreck
For well over two decades, maritime archaeologists and historians have been tantalised by the prospect that the remains of HM Bark Endeavour, subsequently renamed Lord Sandwich, lie in the waters of Newport Harbour, Rhode Island in the United States.
Between 2018 and 2021, the Australian National Maritime Museum’s maritime archaeology team investigated an 18th-century shipwreck site in Newport Harbour with members of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP), a non-profit volunteer organization, and professional maritime archaeologists from the Silentworld Foundation and Spritsail Enterprises.
The site, known by its Rhode Island state archaeological site number RI 2394, is the largest of four 18th-century shipwreck sites found within the Limited Study Area (LSA), a section of the harbour between the northern end of Goat Island and Newport’s historic North Battery.
In 2015, the museum’s former Head of Research, Dr Nigel Erskine, identified this area as the location where the British transport Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour, was scuttled (intentionally sunk) as a blockship during the Battle of Rhode Island in August 1778. The battle was a defensive action by British and Hessian troops to prevent a combined American and French expeditionary force from capturing Newport during the American War of Independence.
Prior to commencement of investigations within the LSA, the museum’s maritime archaeology team and its RIMAP counterparts developed and agreed upon a list of comparative criteria between the historical and archaeological records that, if met, would provide sufficient evidence to identify one of the four British transport shipwreck sites as Lord Sandwich (ex-HMB Endeavour).
Based on this ‘preponderance of evidence’ approach, the museum’s maritime archaeology team identified attributes of RI 2394’s surviving hull that closely or exactly match features of Endeavour’s design and construction recorded in historical sources. These criteria provide definitive evidence that RI 2394 comprises the remnants of Endeavour and will be discussed in James' interesting presentation.
The GO Diving Show ANZ
This annual event, taking place this year on 28-29 September at the Sydney Showground at the Olympic Park, is aimed at showcasing the very best of our underwater world to everyone from raw novices who are either contemplating getting into diving, or have completed their entry-level courses, to advanced divers, right through to technical divers and veteran CCR divers.
There are an array of stages – the Main Stage, the Photo Stage, the Australia/New Zealand Stage, the Inspiration Stage and the Tech Stage – that will play host to dozens of speakers from around the world, as well as a host of interactive features to suit young and old, from VR diving experiences, trydives, a demonstration pool, mermaids, and much more.
Surrounding the stages and features will be a broad range of exhibitors, from tourist boards and tour operators to resorts, liveaboards, training agencies, retailers, manufacturers, and conservation organisations.
The 2024 GO Diving Show UK, now in its fifth year, attracted more than 10,000 attendees over the weekend, and spanned an area of 10,000 sq m of exhibition space, and the Australia and New Zealand variant aspires to reaching this level in coming years.
Entry to the inaugural GO Diving Show ANZ is completely free – register here to get your tickets for what is undoubtedly the diving event of 2024 in Australia. There is plenty of parking on-site and the venue is easy to get to with plenty of transport options, so get the dates in your diary now and prepare for an epic weekend celebrating all forms of diving.
