James Cook

James Cook (October 27, 1728 – February 14, 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, and map maker. He made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, in which its main shorelines were mapped. His most notable accomplishments were the discoveries of the east coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the mapping of New Zealand.

Second voyage (1772-1775)

Cook was once again commissioned by the Royal Society to search for the mythical Terra Australis. On his first voyage, Cook had demonstrated by circumnavigating New Zealand that it was not attached to a larger landmass to the south; and although by charting almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia he had shown it to be continental in size, the Terra Australis being sought was supposed to lie further to the south. Despite this evidence to the contrary Dalrymple and others of the Royal Society still believed that this massive southern continent should exist.

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Cook commanded HMS Resolution on this voyage, while Tobias Furneaux commanded its companion ship, HMS Adventure. Cook's expedition circumnavigated the globe at a very high southern latitude, becoming one of the first to cross the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773, reaching 71°10' south. He also discovered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. In the Antarctic fog, the Resolution and Adventure became separated. Furneaux made his way to New Zealand, where he lost some of his men following a fight with the Maori, and eventually sailed back to Britain, while Cook continued to explore the Antarctic.

Related Topics:
HMS ''Resolution'' - Tobias Furneaux - Circumnavigated - Latitude - Antarctic Circle - January 17 - 1773 - South Georgia - South Sandwich Islands - Maori

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Cook almost discovered the mainland of Antarctica, but turned back north towards Tahiti to resupply his ship. He then resumed his southward course in a second fruitless attempt to find the supposed continent. On this leg of the voyage he brought with him a young Tahitian named Omai, who proved to be somewhat less knowledgeable about the Pacific than Tupaia had been on the first voyage. On his return voyage, he landed at the Friendly Islands, Easter Island, and Vanuatu, in 1774. His reports upon his return home put to rest the popular myth of Terra Australis.

Related Topics:
Antarctica - Friendly Islands - Easter Island - Vanuatu - 1774

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Another accomplishment of the second voyage was the successful testing of John Harrison's timekeeping instruments, which at last facilitated accurate measurement of longitude.

Related Topics:
John Harrison - Timekeeping instruments - Longitude

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Upon his return, Cook was given an honorary retirement from the Royal Navy, but he could not be kept away from the sea. A third voyage was planned to find the Northwest Passage. Cook would travel to the Pacific and hoped to travel east to the Atlantic, while a simultaneous voyage would travel the opposite way.

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