NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island commission has issued a permit for an intensive archaeological investigation of a shipwreck that researchers believe is the vessel 18th-century explorer Capt. James Cook used to sail around the world.

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission said Friday it issued the permit to the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project. The nonprofit is working with the Australian National Maritime Museum to search for the HMS Endeavour in the harbor near Newport.

The preservation commission says this year's fieldwork will determine the dimensions of the ship's remaining structure and recover artifacts and wood samples, to potentially prove the vessel's identity.

Cook ran aground on Australia's Great Barrier Reef during his 1768-1771 voyage to the South Pacific. He used the Endeavour to claim Australia for the British.



