Whitby - Captain Cook

Whitby Captain Cook Monument

James Cook was born in Marton,  North Yorkshire 7th November 1728. He became a naval officer, explorer and cartographer  conducting three voyages of discovery between 1768 and 1769. 

Captain James Cook

In 1747 he became a merchant navy apprentice with the Walker family, shipowners from Whitby. 

James Cook stayed with the Walkers in their house in Whitby which now houses the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.  

Whitby Walker's House VM
 Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Whitby Walker's House Kangaroo VM
 Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Whitby Walker's House Dining Room
 Captain Cook Memorial Museum

He learnt his trade over several years on the Walker's colliers plying their trade between the Tyne and London. 

Captain Cook Memorial Museum
Walker House and Collier

In 1752 he completed his apprentice ship and worked on Baltic Sea trading ships.

Cook volunteered for the Royal Navy in 1755 and  fought in the Seven Years War from 1754 to 1763. During his service he demonstrated a talent for surveying and cartography. This brought  him to the attention of the Admiralty and Royal Society who selected him to undertake voyages of scientific discovery and exploring unknown territories. 

Between 1768 till his death in Hawaii in 1779 Cook conducted three voyages to the Pacific, Antarctica and the Artic., including circumnavigation of the globe on his first voyage. Captain James Cook was killed in Hawaii on his third expedition.

Captain Cooks Voyages

Captain Cook Memorial Museum
VM contemplating global circumnavigation

Captain Cooks first voyage was aboard HMB Endeavour, a replica of which is moored in Whitby Harbour.

Captain Cook Memorial Museum
Whitby Harbour Endeavour Replica

Captain Cook Memorial Museum
Whitby Harbour Endeavour Replica VM IJ

 First voyage (1768–1771)  HMB Endeavour

Captain Cook First Voyage

Captain Cooks first voyage was a joint Admiralty-Royal Society expedition to the Pacific. It's aim was to observe the Transit of Venus to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Captain Cook would command HMB Endeavour, a converted Whitby collier on his first expedition. 

Captain Cook Memorial Museum
HMB Endeavour 1768

HMB Endeavour

HMB Endeavour left Plymouth on the 25th August 1768. It sailed to Tierra del Fuego where it took on provisions. After rounding Cape Horn the Endeavour then sailed to Matavai Bay, Tahiti arriving in April 1769. The scientists on board observed the Transit of Venus, but their results proved inconclusive. 

Captain Cook observing the Transit of Venus

In July 1769 Endeavour left Tahiti and arrived off the coast of New Zealand three months later. New Zealand was relatively unknown and Cook began it's exploration which resulted in some violent encounters with the indigenous Maori.

Captain Cook New Zealand Maori's

Cook sailed for Australia in March 1770 where he  explored the east coast and made the first landing at Botany Bay. He claimed the coast for Britain and named it New South Wales.

Captain Cook lands at Botany Bay

Leaving Australia, the Endeavour took on provisions and undertook repairs at Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). Returning via Cape Horn, and calling at Rio de Janeiro. The Endeavour sailed into the River Thames on 16th July 1771 having completed a circumnavigation of the globe. 

Second voyage (1772–1775) HMS Resolution 

Captain Cook Second Voyage

The Second of Cook's Voyages would see him return to the Pacific to search for the Great Southern Continent which it was believed must exist to balance the landmasses of the Northern Hemisphere. 

HMS Resolution

Commanding HMS Resolution, Cook left Plymouth on 13th July 1771 accompanied by HMS Adventure. They sailed via the Cape of Good Hope where they took on board supplies in October. From there they travelled south to Antarctica reaching the ice sheet on 14th December 1772. Cook's expedition searched for any breaks in the iceshelf and collected ice samples, before turning North. The ships would be the first know to have crossed the Antarctic Circle. 

HMS Resolution and Adventure Antarctica 1773

The summer was spent in New Zealand and Tahiti, before plans were made to return to the Antarctic. 

HMS Resolution and Adventure Tahiti August 1773

As the ships sailed south in October 1773 they lost each other in a storm. HMS Adventure returned to Britain, Captain Cook and HMS Resolution continued the journey south to Antarctica.

Captain Cook HMS Resolution Antarctica 1773

After exploring the area around Antarctica Cook concluded 'a Southern Continent, mentioned by all authors who have written on this subject, whose assertions and conjectures are now entirely refuted'.

Captain Cook Southern Hemisphere Mapping

Cook explored the Pacific further landing at Easter Island, Tahiti, Niue, Tonga, New Hebrides and Norfolk Island. He returned to New Zealand to take on supplies before heading to the Cape of Good Hope.  

Returning to the UK via St Helena Captain Cook and Endeavour reached Portsmouth on 30th July 1775. 

Third voyage (1776–1779) HMS Resolution

Captain Cook  Third Voyage

The third of Captain Cook's voyages was aimed at discovering the North West Passage from the Pacific to the North Atlantic.

Cook sailed in HMS Resolution from Plymouth 12th July 1776 to the Cape of Good Hope where it was joined by HMS Discovery in November 1776. The ships set sail from the Cape to New Zealand in December 1776.

HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery

In December they sailed to New Zealand arriving in February 1777. They continued their journey via Tonga and Tahiti to the Hawaiian Islands. The two ships then proceeded north the Sandwich Islands then onward to Vancouver island to take on supplies arriving March 1778. 

Vancouver Island

The expedition reached Alaska in May 1778 and began searching for the North West Passage which proved to be unsuccessful.

Captain Cook searching for North West Passage

On 26th October 1776 Cook and his expedition sailed south to winter in Hawaii  arriving in January 1779. After provisioning Resolution and Discovery headed back north in February, however damage to Resolution's mast meant they had to return back to Hawaii anchoring in Kealakakua Bay.

Captain Cook anchors in Kealakakua Bay Hawaii

It was in Hawaii following a dispute over a stolen boat that Captain James Cook was killed on a beach along with four marines on 14th February 1779. His body was buried at sea.

Captain Cook's Death Kealakakua Bay Hawaii 14 Feb 1779

Captain Cook Burial at Sea

==============

Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby

Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby

Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby

Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby

Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby