Shipwreck of Captain Cook’s Endeavour being eaten by ‘termites of the ocean’, expert says

The shipwreck of James Cook’s Endeavour lies in waters off the coast of Rhode Island in the US. A marine biologist says the wood has been infiltrated by shipworms. Illustration: Print Collector/Getty Images

There are fears the wreck of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour is being destroyed by shipworms, the “termites of the ocean”.

In February the Australian Maritime Museum announced that the shipwreck, in waters off the coast of Rhode Island in the US, was “the final resting place” of that famous historical ship.