Worm-eaten shipwreck of Captain Cook’s Endeavour under threat from more marine animals

Experts say marine animals such as fish and lobsters pose a threat to the Endeavour shipwreck, but humans can stop the damage. Photograph: Australian National Maritime Museum/AFP/Getty Images

The wreck of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour is under threat not just from shipworms, but also from fish, crustaceans and the ocean itself, maritime archaeologists warn.

The wooden ship rests off the coast of Rhode Island in the US, and is already worm-eaten. Experts from the Australian National Maritime Museum say time is critical in the race to save parts of the wreck that are important both historically and for future study.