James Cook

James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean. He charted the coastlines of New Zealand and eastern Australia and reached the Hawaiian Islands.

Early Life and Education

Cook was born in Marton in Yorkshire in 1728, the son of a farm labourer. He was apprenticed to a shopkeeper and then to a coal shipper in Whitby.

He joined the Royal Navy in 1755 and rose through the ranks. He surveyed the coast of Newfoundland and the Saint Lawrence River during the Seven Years' War.

His skill in the surveying and the navigation brought him to the attention of the Royal Society. He was appointed the commander of the expedition to the Pacific in 1768.

The First Voyage

Cook sailed from Plymouth in 1768 in the Endeavour with the astronomer Charles Green. The purpose was to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti.

He then sailed south in search of the great southern continent. He charted the whole of the coast of New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia.

He claimed the eastern coast of Australia for Britain at Botany Bay. He returned to England in 1771 after the voyage of nearly three years.

The voyage was a great success and established his reputation. The botanist Joseph Banks collected the specimens that transformed the study of the natural history.

The Second and Third Voyages

Cook sailed again in 1772 in the Resolution and the Adventure. He circumnavigated the globe at the high southern latitude and crossed the Antarctic Circle.

He disproved the existence of the great southern continent in the temperate zone. He explored the islands of the Pacific and the coasts of the Antarctic.

The third voyage began in 1776 and sought the Northwest Passage. He explored the coast of North America and passed through the Bering Strait.

He discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1778. He was killed in 1779 in a skirmish with the Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay.

The Legacy

Cook is regarded as one of the greatest of the navigators and the explorers. His charts were accurate and were used for many years.

He established the practice of the prevention of the scurvy by the diet. The health of his crews was much better than that of the other expeditions.

His voyages opened the Pacific to the European trade and the colonisation. The contact brought the disease and the disruption to the native peoples.

The legacy of Cook is contested because of the impact on the indigenous peoples. He is commemorated by the monuments and the institutions that bear his name.

The Preparation and the Ships

Cook was given the command of the Endeavour for the first voyage. The ship was a Whitby collier chosen for its strength and its shallow draught.

He insisted on the strict hygiene and the diet of the crew. The measures prevented the scurvy that had destroyed the earlier expeditions.

He carried the scientific instruments and the artists and the scientists. The voyage combined the exploration with the scientific research.

The Later Career and the Death

Cook was promoted to the rank of the captain after the second voyage. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society and received the Copley Medal.

He was killed in 1779 at Kealakekua Bay in Hawaii. The circumstances of the death have been the subject of the study.

The voyages produced the maps and the journals that transformed the knowledge of the Pacific. The collections of the specimens and the artworks are the foundation of the study.

The Charting and the Survey

Cook charted the whole of the coast of New Zealand with the remarkable accuracy. The charts were used for more than a century.

He surveyed the eastern coast of Australia and claimed it for Britain. The harbour of Botany Bay was named for the plants collected by the botanist Banks.

He charted the coast of Newfoundland before the Pacific voyages. The survey was the model of the accurate hydrographic work.

The Health and the Diet

Cook insisted on the hygiene and the diet of the crew. He introduced the sauerkraut and the citrus and the fresh vegetables.

The measures prevented the scurvy that had destroyed the earlier expeditions. The health of his crews was much better than that of the others.

The practice became the model for the later naval voyages. The discovery of the cause of the scurvy followed the work of Cook.

The Pacific and the Peoples

Cook made the contact with the peoples of the Pacific. He recorded the customs and the languages and the artefacts.

The contact brought the disease and the disruption to the native peoples. The impact of the contact was profound and lasting.

The journals and the collections of the voyages are the foundation of the study of the Pacific. The legacy of Cook is the subject of the continuing debate.

See also

• Age of Discovery
• Pacific Ocean
• Antarctic Circle
• Hawaiian Islands