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Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer who conducted three voyages to the Pacific Ocean. His first voyage, which began in 1768, was aboard the Endeavour. During this voyage, Cook charted over 8000km of coastline throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. He arrived at the southeast coast of Australia in 1770, making landfall at Botany Bay and claiming the land for Great Britain. After sailing back to Britain, the Endeavour was renamed Lord Sandwich and became a troop carrier ship.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the ship | Endeavour |
| Length | 106 feet (32 m) |
| Beam | 29 feet 3 inches (8.92 m) |
| Tonnage | 36871⁄94 tons burthen |
| Crew | 73 sailors, 12 Royal Marines, scientists, and a naturalist |
| Departure | August 1768 |
| Departure port | Plymouth Dockyard |
| Captain | James Cook |
| Route | Atlantic Ocean, Cape Horn, Tahiti, Huahine, Borabora, Raiatea, New Zealand, Australia |
| Arrival | April 1770 |
| Arrival port | Botany Bay |
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What You'll Learn
Captain James Cook sailed to Australia on the Endeavour
Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer. He conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, sailing to destinations ranging from the Antarctic ice fields to the Bering Strait, the coasts of North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
On his first voyage to the Pacific, which began on 27 May 1768, Captain James Cook sailed on the Endeavour. The voyage had three aims: to establish an observatory at Tahiti to record the transit of Venus, to record natural history, and to continue the search for the Great South Land.
On this voyage, Cook charted New Zealand and Australia between 1769 and 1771. He arrived off the southeast coast of what is now Australia in 1770, making landfall at Botany Bay. He then claimed the region for the British crown, despite the presence of large Indigenous communities.
After sailing back to Britain, the Endeavour was renamed Lord Sandwich and became a troop carrier ship. The wreckage of the Endeavour has never been found, but researchers are investigating 13 sunken ships that were scuttled in Newport Harbour in 1778.
Captain James Cook's first voyage succeeded in charting over 8000 km of coastline throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
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The Endeavour was a British-built coal ship
Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer. He conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779, sailing to places such as the Antarctic ice fields, the Bering Strait, the coasts of North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
On his first voyage, which began on 27 May 1768, Cook set sail on the Endeavour, a British-built coal ship. The Endeavour was purchased by the Admiralty in May 1768 for £2,840 10s 11d. It was originally named the Earl of Pembroke, a merchant collier launched in June 1764 from the coal and whaling port of Whitby in North Yorkshire. The Endeavour was 106 feet long, with a beam of 29 feet 3 inches, and measured 36871⁄94 tons burthen.
The Endeavour was chosen for Cook's voyage because of its sturdiness and flat-bottomed design, which made it well-suited for sailing in shallow waters. It also had a broad, flat bow, a square stern, and a long box-like body with a deep hold. These features allowed the ship to be beached for loading, unloading, and basic repairs without requiring a dry dock.
During his first voyage, Cook sailed to Tahiti, where he established an observatory to record the transit of Venus. He then struck southwest, charting all of New Zealand, before continuing westward across the Tasman Sea to Australia. In April 1770, Cook and his crew became the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall near present-day Point Hicks. They proceeded north, charting over 8000 km of coastline and narrowly avoiding shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef.
After leaving Australia, Cook sailed the Endeavour back to England, where it was renamed Lord Sandwich and became a troop carrier ship. The Endeavour was eventually scuttled in Newport Harbour, off the US coast, in 1778 during the American War of Independence. While the wreckage has never been found, researchers continue to search for it, hoping to locate the ship that played a significant role in Captain Cook's historic voyage to Australia and the Pacific.
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The voyage began in 1768
The ship chosen for the voyage was a merchant collier named the Earl of Pembroke, which was purchased by the Admiralty in May 1768. The Endeavour, as it was later renamed, was a British-built coal ship that was well-suited to sailing in shallow waters.
Cook's voyage had three aims: to establish an observatory in Tahiti to record the transit of Venus, to record natural history, and to continue the search for the Great South Land. He unknowingly carried with him secret orders from the British Admiralty to seek "a Continent or Land of great extent" and to take possession of that land in the name of the King of Great Britain.
After reaching Tahiti, Cook stopped at the nearby islands of Huahine, Borabora, and Raiatea to claim them for Great Britain before sailing into the largely uncharted ocean to the south and west. In October 1769, the expedition reached New Zealand, and Cook spent the next six months charting the New Zealand coast before resuming their voyage westward.
In April 1770, Cook and his crew became the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall near present-day Botany Bay. They proceeded north along the Australian coastline, charting over 8000 km of coastline and claiming the land for Great Britain.
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Cook charted the east coast of Australia
Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer who conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779.
On his first voyage, Cook set sail from Plymouth Dockyard in August 1768. In April 1770, he and his crew became the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall near present-day Point Hicks.
Cook charted almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia, showing it to be continental in size. He and his crew spent six months charting the New Zealand coast before sailing north along Australia's east coast. They narrowly avoided shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef, which has since been considered one of the greatest navigational hazards in the world.
Cook's expedition continued northward along the Australian coastline, stopping at Bustard Bay (now known as Seventeen Seventy) on 23 May 1770. On 6 May 1770, the Endeavour left Botany Bay and sailed north, with Cook naming an inlet Port Jackson, known today as Sydney Harbour.
The Admiralty's instructions to Cook included exploring and recording the true position of the coast, the variation of the compass needle, the orientation of headlands, the height and direction of tides and currents, the depth of the sea, and the identification of bays and harbours.
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He claimed the land for Great Britain
Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer who conducted three voyages to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779. He is renowned for his exploration of the Pacific Ocean and his expeditions to Antarctica, the Bering Strait, the coasts of North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
On his first voyage, Cook set sail from Plymouth Dockyard in August 1768. After observing the transit of Venus in Tahiti, he headed south-west and became the first European to discover and chart the entire coast of New Zealand.
In April 1770, Cook and his crew became the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall near present-day Point Hicks. They then proceeded north to Botany Bay, which is now part of Sydney.
During this voyage, Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain. On 22 August 1770, he climbed to the highest point of Possession Island and, in the name of King George III, took possession of the entire eastern coast. In his journal, Cook expressed his belief that the land did not produce anything that would attract Europeans to settle there. However, just 18 years later, a British convict settlement was established in New South Wales.
It is important to note that some sources question the extent of Cook's role in claiming British sovereignty over Australia. While he did chart the east coast of Australia, it was not part of his original instructions, and he had no intention of approaching the continent. The claim of British sovereignty over Australia may have been a retrospective interpretation rather than a direct result of Cook's actions during his voyages.
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Frequently asked questions
Captain James Cook sailed to Australia on the HMS Endeavour.
The Endeavour was a British-built coal ship. It was purchased by the Admiralty in May 1768 for £2,840 10s 11d.
Captain James Cook's voyage to Australia was a scientific voyage to map the Pacific Ocean.
No, Captain James Cook only sailed to Australia once, on his first voyage from 1768 to 1771.
On his first voyage, Captain James Cook sailed to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
