Captain Cook (1728-79)
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Captain
Cook is arguably the most famous explorer of Australia.
He was born in Marton, England and spent several years working
for a shipbuilding firm before enlisting in the navy in
1755.
Between
1756 and 1767 Cook set about charting the North Atlantic
coastal waters off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and the
Saint Lawrence River.
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His
first great voyage, to the South Pacific, began in 1768 whilst
in command of the Endeavour. Tahiti was his destination and the
purpose, to transport British astronomers to the island in order
to observe the movement of the planet Venus across the sun in
June 1769.
Next
he proceeded to New Zealand, where he took formal possession of
areas from both the main islands and accurately charted 3860 km
of coastline for the first time. During 1770 he discovered the
east coast of Australia, which he charted and claimed for Great
Britain under the name of New South Wales.
Cook
was promoted to the rank of commander when he returned to England
in 1771. Captain Cook's second great expedition began in 1772
whilst in command of the Resolution. This time he was accompanied
by another ship named the Adventure and the task ahead was to
search for the legendary southern continent, named Terra Australis.
At this time Africa was believed to be part of this continent.
After
sailing along the Antarctic ice block in the South Pacific, Cook
crossed the Antarctic Circle on January 16th 1773. It is here
that he found the Islands that were later named after him. He
discovered New Caledonia and Niue along with other Pacific Islands
in 1774 as he charted the New Hebrides, the Marquesas, and the
Easter Island. Cook returned to England in 1775, where he was
made a member of the Royal Society and was also awarded the Copley
medal for his scientific achievement.
Cook
always insisted that hygiene and diet were kept to the optimum,
which resulted in minimal numbers of scurvy cases amongst the
crew during the journey. The three-year exploration was recognised
for this, plus the fact that he had proven that no Southern continent
existed. All that was present was the Antarctic region.
Cook
began a journey to the North of North America in 1776, in search
of a Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
During his travels he visited the Mid-Pacific and discovered and
charted the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) in 1778. After
arriving at the Coast (just off the coast of today's Oregon) he
searched for a Northwest Passage but was forced to go back due
to ice in the Bering Strait. He met his death in the Sandwich
Islands during a battle with some of the islanders over a boat
that had been stolen.
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