HM Bark Endeavour
|
The HM Bark Endeavour was the ship used by Captain James Cook (1728–1779) on his first voyage. This Whitby collier was purchased and renovated by Cook on behalf of the Royal Navy for a voyage of exploration and scientific discovery to the Pacific. The voyage was partly financed by the naturalist Joseph Banks. Background to the voyageThe Endeavour’s voyage was one of many undertaken by European nations during the eigtheenth Century.
European explorers such as the Dutch had already chartered much of the Australian coast in search of the ‘Great South Land’
Great Britain sent ships into many parts of the world to find new trade opportunities and lands to colonise.
Scientific expeditions looked for new plant and animal species and ways to improve navigation. |
The voyageOn August 29, 1768 the Endeavour set sail on a three year circumnavigation of the earth. During this expedition Cook and his crew charted the islands and coastlands of the pacific, undertook scientific investigations such as the transits of Venus and Mercury, and following secret orders claimed new territories for Great Britain.
Read extracts from Joseph Banks’ Endeavour journal. Look at drawings and paintings by artist Sydney Parkinson. Read Cook’s journal about the disaster on the reef and close encounter with a French exploration ship. |
Cook's landing at Botany Bay The fate of the EndeavourFor many years there was a mystery around the fate of the Endeavour. The Australian National Maritime Museum has spent the last decade uncovering this murky history. A replica of Captain Cook's famous ship (left) was built in the 1990s and a circumnavigation of Australia is planned for April 2011–May 2012. Take a tour of the Endeavour at Australian Geographic.
|
