James Cook

James CookBy Henrietta Howard

Early life of james cookJames Cook was born in the village of Morton in Yorkshire, England, on October 27, 1728He grew up on a farm at Great AytonIn 1744 he was an apprentice to a grocer at StaithesIn 1746 - 1749 he was an apprentice to John Walker at Whitby but then left to join the NavyHe stayed in the Navy until 1768

IntErest in ExpLoringLiving by the sea and seeing many ships interested James Cook and convinced him to start exploring.At 17, Cook started work as an apprentice to John Walker of Whitby a ship owner.He had his first voyage as an apprentice aboard the Whitby collier Freelove, a coal ship. In the Navy James Cook worked his way up through the ranks, eventually rising to command his own survey vessel.

First VoyageThe voyage was commissioned by King George III and James Cook was in charge.The first voyage of James Cook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS Endeavour, from 1768 to 1771.It was the first of three Pacific voyages of which Cook was the commander.Departing from Plymouth in August 1768, the expedition crossed the Atlantic, rounded Cape Horn and reached Tahiti.Cook then set sail into the largely uncharted ocean to the south, stopping at the Pacific islands of Huahine, Borabora and Raiatea to claim them for Great Britain, and unsuccessfully attempting to land at Rurutu.In September 1769, the expedition reached New Zealand.Cook and his crew spent the following six months charting the New Zealand coast, before resuming their voyage westward across open sea. In April 1770, they became the first Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall on the shore of what is now known as Botany Bay.

Map of first voyage

second VoyageAfter a stop in the Cape Verde Islands to get resources such as beef, fruit, and onions, two weeks later the ship set sail due south toward the Cape of Good Hope The ships left the Cape on 22 November 1772 and headed for the area of the South Atlantic where the French navigator Bouvet claimed to have spotted land that he named Cape CircumcisionBy early December they were sailing in thick fog and seeing 'ice islands'. Cook had not found the island that Bouvet claimed to be in latitude 54 Pack ice soon surrounded the ships but in the second week in January, in the southern mid-summer, the weather changed and Cook was able to take the ships southwards through the ice to reach the Antarctic Circle on the 17 of January.The next day after being severely slowed down by the ice, they changed course and headed to the north-east.On 8 February 1773 Resolution and Adventure became separated in the Antarctic fog. Furneaux directed Adventure towards the prearranged meeting point of Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand.On the way to the rendezvous, Adventure surveyed the southern and eastern coasts of Tasmania where Adventure Bay was named for the ship. Furneaux made the earliest British chart of this shore, but as he did not enter Bass Strait he assumed Tasmania to be part of Australia.Adventure arrived at Queen Charlotte Sound on 7 May 1773, The Resolution reached Queen Charlotte Sound on 17 May.From June to October the two ships explored the southern Pacific, reaching Tahiti on 15 August.After calling at Tonga in the Friendly Islands the ships returned to New Zealand but were separated by a storm on 22 October. This time the rendezvous at Queen Charlotte Sound was missed Resolution departed on 26 November, four days before Adventure arrived. Cook had left a message buried in the sand setting out his plan to explore the South Pacific and return to New Zealand. Furneaux decided to return home and buried a reply to that effect.Cook continued to explore the Antarctic, heading south into the summer sea ice, icebergs and fog until he reached 6731 South before hauling north again for 2200km. The third crossing of the Antarctic Circle, on 26 January 1774.On January 30th they could go no further because of the solid sea ice.

Second Voyage Map

Third voyageJames Cook's third and final voyage was to return to Omai.Cook sailed from Plymouth on 12 July 1776. Clerke in the Discovery was delayed in London and did not follow until 1 August.The two ships sailed in company on 1 December and on 13 December located and named the Prince Edward Islands. Twelve days later he found the Kerguelen Islands which he failed to find on his second voyage.Driven by strong westerly winds they reached Van Diemen's Land on 26 January 1777 where they took on water and wood and became cursorily acquainted with the aborigines living there.The ships sailed on, arriving at Queen Charlotte Sound in New Zealand on 12 February. Here the Mori were apprehensive because they believed that Cook would take revenge for the deaths of ten men from the Discovery, commanded by Furneaux, on his second voyage. After two weeks the ships left for Tahiti but contrary winds carried them westwards to Mangaia where land was first sighted on 29 March.In order to re-provision, the ships went with the westerly winds to the Friendly Isles stopping en route at Palmerston Island.They stayed in the Friendly Isles from 28 April until mid July when they set out for Tahiti, arriving on 12 August.After returning Omai, Cook delayed his onward journey until 7 December when he travelled north and on 18 January 1778 became the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. In passing and after initial landfall at Waimea harbour, Kauai, Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" after the fourth Earl of Sandwichthe acting First Lord of the Admiralty.From the South Pacific, he went northeast on 2 February to explore the west coast of North America north of the Spanish settlements in Alta California.After a month's stay, Cook got under sail to resume his exploration of the Northern Pacific. However, shortly after leaving Hawaii Island, the foremast of the Resolution broke and the ships returned to Kealakekua Bay for repairs.Cook turned his back to help launch the boats, he was struck on the head by the villagers and then stabbed to death as he fell on his face in the surf.Map of third voyage