This time the Admiralty clearly formulated the purpose of the expedition - to open sea ​​route from the Atlantic to the Pacific across northern North America. As you know, the result of Cook's second expedition was the cessation of the search for new lands in the southern latitudes. Everything that could be discovered was already open.

Route of James Cook's third expedition

The expedition this time also consisted of 2 ships: the proven flagship “Resolution” and the second ship, of smaller displacement, “Discovery”. The ships started on different dates in mid-summer 1776. They connected in Cape Town and set sail for the Pacific Ocean on December 1st. On January 26, 1777, both ships were already in Tasmania. Then, through New Zealand we went to the Friendship Islands and then to Kuku’s almost native Tahiti, where they arrived on August 12.

And on December 7, 1777, the ships headed north. On December 22 we crossed the equator. Two days later, on December 24, the expedition discovered Christmas Island. A solar eclipse was observed on this island.

Hawaiian Islands

On January 18, 1778, the expedition discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which were fatal for its commander. Cook named Sandwich, but not in honor of the sandwich, but in honor of one of the inspirations of his travels, the First Lord of the Admiralty Jonah Sandwich A. (Alas, the lord was unlucky - the name did not stick.)

A week later, they moved to the coast of North America, got caught in a storm and, approaching the shore, began repairs in the area of ​​​​present-day Vancouver. On April 26 we moved on. In Alaska they began to repair again. Then, in early August, they crossed the strait separating Asia and America, crossed the Arctic Circle and entered the Chukchi Sea. And then the ships ran into ice hummocks. It was impossible to go further. Winter was approaching, so Cook decided to turn to warmer climes.

Meeting with the Russians

On October 2, 1778, Cook met Russian industrialists for the first time in the Aleutian Islands. , which turned out to be much more accurate than the cards he himself had. Cook redrawn this map and named the strait between Asia and America.

On November 26, 1778, both ships safely reached the Hawaiian Islands. On the shore they were met by thousands of natives, who apparently took Cook for one of their deities.

Good neighborly relations were established with the islanders, but the natives turned out to be a thieving people, stealing everything they could get their hands on. In order not to aggravate relations, Cook left the bay, but, unfortunately, the Resolution was caught in a storm, the rigging was seriously damaged and needed mandatory repairs. The expedition had no other choice but to return to the ill-fated islands, because there was no other stop nearby. Everything that needed repair was pulled ashore - sails, rigging, etc. Meanwhile, the attitude of the aborigines became openly hostile. “And everyone was incited by the sorcerer, the cunning and the evil one! Hey guys, grab Cook!”

Why did the Aborigines eat Cook?

On February 14, 1778, the natives stole a longboat. The commander’s patience came to an end; Cook decided to take one of the native leaders hostage. With a group of armed sailors, he went to the village and invited the leader onto the ship. He pretended to accept the invitation, but then resisted. And his fellow tribesmen large quantities surrounded the squad. History is silent about who exactly started the battle; the natives killed Cook himself and several of his comrades in the clash.

Thus, the third circumnavigation of the world turned out to be James Cook's last. He, like Ferdinand Magellan, died at the hands of the natives on the islands Pacific Ocean. This happened on the evening of February 14, 1779. It turns out that on Valentine's Day.

Captain Clerk took command of the expedition. He tried to obtain the release of Cook's body from the natives through negotiations. Did not work out. Then Clerk organized an armed raid against the invaders, burned several settlements and drove the natives into the mountains. There is nothing to be done, the Hawaiians returned forty kilograms of meat and a human head without a lower jaw to the Resolution.

On February 22, 1779, the remains of the great navigator James Cook, as befits a naval officer, were buried at sea.

Results of Cook's third expedition

Hawaiian Islands discovered

The Northwest Passage around North America was not discovered

The great navigator Cook found himself killed at the hands of the Aborigines.

More pages about James Cook and his expeditions

P Comforters of the Age of Great Geographical Discovery

We once discussed the topic of, but it seems to me that it intersects with another very popular topic. Remember Vysotsky? Why did the aborigines eat Cook?

People usually know about the captain and talented cartographer James Cook that he was an explorer of the southern seas who was killed and eaten by the aborigines. Contrary to popular belief, he was not eaten, or at least it was not a key moment in the tragedy that unfolded from January 16 to February 14, 1779 in Hawaii.

What happened there then? Now we will read about this...

Call of the Sea

Captain James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in a small Yorkshire village. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a navigator. At seventeen, Cook became a worker in grocery store. But after some time, he asked to be an apprentice to shipowners, the Walker brothers, who were engaged in the transportation of coal.

For almost ten years he sailed on coasters carrying coal. In between flights, Cook pored over piles of books on mathematics, navigation, and astronomy. Not a drop of alcohol and no women. As a result, John Walker appreciated Cook's endurance and hard work and offered him the position of assistant captain. After another three years, the brothers decided to make James captain. But they could not keep the capable young man near them. In 1755, at the age of 27, James became a first-class sailor in the navy.

This was followed by several years of hard labor, a long war with France and, finally, the stripes of a sergeant major - at 32 years old.

First expeditions

Cook began the journey from Plymouth in August 1768. There were 94 people on board the Endeavor, which included crew members and scientists. Already in April of the following year they reached Tahiti, where the locals happily welcomed the sailors. Cook then went to the shores of New Zealand, where he met Maori tribes with war canoes. Afterwards there were the shores of Tasmania and East Coast Australia. The ship "Endeavour" almost crashed on coral reefs, but Cook's crew members coped with the danger.

While sailing off the coast of Batavia (modern Jakarta), many crew members died of fever. Cook managed to prevent the spread of the disease by maintaining perfect cleanliness on board. In 1771, after a three-year journey, Cook returned to England. Of the crew, only 56 crew members were able to set foot on their native soil.

Trip around the world

A year after the first voyage, the decision was made to begin a second voyage under Cook's command. The captain and his crew had to commit trip around the world in the latitudes of Antarctica on two of the same ships as the Endeavor.
During this voyage, Cook first tried a marine clock (chronometer), which was created by John Harrison and proved to be very accurate.

"The Death of Captain Cook" (John Webber, 1784)

During the year (from January 1773), Cook's ships entered the Arctic Circle several times, but due to severe cold they were forced to return back. After this, Cook went to New Zealand, where he traded with the Maori tribes. He then returned to Tahiti and explored the Melanesian and Polynesian islands before sailing to England via South Africa. During this journey, many of Cook's crew died from disease, and some were killed during encounters with Maori tribes.
After this voyage, James Cook was promoted and became captain of the ship with the rank of captain, granted by King George III of England.

Fatal Expedition

Cook's ships left the English port of Plymouth on their last voyage in 1776. The task of the expedition was to find the North-Western route between the Quiet and Atlantic Oceans in North America.

Cook walked around the Cape of Good Hope, crossed Indian Ocean and visited New Zealand and Tahiti. His path lay to the North - the British Parliament promised the crew of the ship that would make the discovery 20,000 pounds sterling - a fortune at that time. At dawn on January 18, 1778, Cook saw land: it was the island of Oahu (one of the eight islands of the Hawaiian archipelago). A strong headwind prevented the ships from approaching the island and carried them northwest to the island of Kauai.

The ships dropped anchor in Waimea Bay. The ruling leader decided to send his representatives on board. When they boarded the ship, they were horrified: they mistook the officers’ English cocked hats for triangular heads. Cook gave a dagger to one of the high leaders who boarded the ship. The impression was so strong that the leader announced a new name for his daughter - Dagger.
Subsequently, Cook walked unarmed among the Hawaiians, who greeted him as the highest leader. They fell prostrate on the ground at his approach and offered him gifts of food, mats and burl (material made from the bark of trees).

Death of Cook. Canvas by the Anglo-German artist Johann Zoffany (1795)

Hawaiians excitedly discussed the enormous wealth of foreigners. Some were eager to grab the iron objects they saw on the deck, but the tall shaman warned them not to do so. He himself was unsure whether to classify foreigners as gods or mere mortals. In the end, he decided to conduct a simple test: offer women to the strangers. If the British agree, then they are clearly not gods, but mere mortals. The British, naturally, failed the exam, but many Hawaiians still had their doubts.

Two weeks later, having rested and replenished their food supply, the ships left for the north. But already at the end of November 1778, Cook returned to Hawaii. After some time, Kalaniopuu, the ruler of the island of Hawaii, appeared on board. He generously supplied Cook with food supplies and all kinds of gifts. Every day, hundreds of Hawaiians climbed aboard both ships. Sometimes there were so many of them that it was impossible to work. From time to time the natives stole metal objects. These minor, although annoying, thefts were not paid attention to.
As the ships were repaired and food supplies replenished, some Hawaiians became increasingly convinced that the British were mere mortals. They politely hinted to the sailors that it was time and honor to know, and that they would be able to visit the islands during the next harvest, when there would be plenty of food again.

On February 4, 1779, four weeks after the ships entered Kealakekua Bay, Cook ordered the anchor to be raised. The Hawaiians watched with satisfaction as the British left. However, on the very first night the ships were caught in a storm and the front mast of the Resolution cracked. It was necessary to return. Cook knew only one convenient bay nearby - Kealakekua.

When the ships entered the familiar bay, its shores were deserted. A boat sent ashore returned with the news that King Kalaniopuu had imposed a taboo on the entire bay. Such taboos were common in Hawaii. Typically, after the land and its resources had been used up, the chiefs would forbid entry for a period of time to allow the sea and land resources to recover.

The British felt growing anxiety, but they needed to repair the mast. The next day the king visited the bay and greeted the British friendly, but the mood of the Hawaiians had already somehow changed. The initial warmth of the relationship gradually melted away. In one case, things almost came to a scuffle when the chiefs ordered the Hawaiians not to help a crew that had gone ashore for water. The six sailors guarding the work on shore were ordered to load their guns with bullets instead of shot. Cook and his trusted officer James King went ashore to settle a dispute over water between the crew and the islanders. They barely had time to decide controversial issue, when they heard the sound of musket fire in the direction of the Discovery ship. A canoe was rushing from the ship towards the shore. The Hawaiians sitting in it rowed their oars furiously. Obviously they stole something. Cook, King and one sailor made an unsuccessful attempt to catch the thieves. When they returned to shore, they learned that the Discovery's boatswain had decided to go ashore and seize the thieves' canoe. As it turned out, the canoe belonged to a friend of the British, Chief Palea. When Palea demanded his canoe back, an altercation ensued, during which the chief was hit on the head with an oar. The Hawaiians rushed at the British, and they were forced to take refuge among the rocks on the shore. Fortunately, Palea restored order and the rivals presumably parted as friends.

At dawn the next day, the British discovered that the boat, tied to a buoy a dozen yards from the ship, had disappeared. Cook was furious because she was the best on board. He ordered the bay to be blocked so that no canoe could leave it. Cook, Lieutenant Phillips and nine Marines went ashore. Cook's task was to meet with King Kalaniopuu. He was going to use a plan that had never failed him under similar circumstances in other parts of the ocean: he would invite Kalaniopuu on board and keep him there until his subjects returned the boat.

Cook observes human sacrifice in Tahiti (1773)

Cook considered himself a friend of the Hawaiians, who, like the Hawaiians, had nothing to fear.

Kalaniopuu accepted the invitation, but the king's wives begged him not to go. In the end, they managed to seat the king on the ground at the very edge of the water. At this time, the echo of shots echoed over the bay. The Hawaiians were visibly alarmed. Cook already realized that it would not be possible to bring the king to the ship. He got up and walked alone to the boat. But a Hawaiian ran into the excited crowd and shouted that the British had killed the tall chief when he tried to leave the bay in his canoe.

This was a declaration of war. Women and children disappeared. The men put on protective wicker mats, and spears, daggers, stones and clubs appeared in their hands. Cook waded into knee-deep water and turned to call the boats and order a ceasefire. At that moment, a crushing blow from a wooden club fell on his head. As he fell, another warrior stabbed him in the back with a dagger. An hour after he went ashore, Cook was dead.

Lieutenant King tried to persuade the Hawaiians to return the bodies of the fallen. At night, the sentries heard the cautious sound of oars near the side of the Resolution and fired into the darkness. They narrowly missed two Hawaiians who asked permission to board. In their hands they carried a small package wrapped in tapa (tanned cloth made from tree bark). They solemnly unwrapped the tapa, and in the wavering light of the lantern the British saw with horror the bloody flesh that had apparently been cut from Cook's body.

The British were horrified by this treatment of the body of their captain; some began to suspect the Hawaiians were cannibals. And yet, Cook’s remains were treated as the bodies of the highest leaders were treated. Traditionally, Hawaiians separated the flesh from the bones of highly revered people. The bones were then tied together and buried secretly so that no one could abuse them. If the deceased was an object of great affection and respect, then the bones could be kept for some time at home. Since Cook was highly respected, parts of his body were divided among the high leaders. His head went to the king, and one of the leaders took his scalp. The terrible treatment was, in fact, the highest honor on the part of the Hawaiians.

Over the next few days the British took brutal revenge. One result of the bloodshed was that the frightened Hawaiians decided to return more of Cook's remains to the British. One of the chiefs, dressed in a ceremonial cloak of red feathers, returned the captain's hands, skull, forearms and leg bones.

On the evening of February 21, 1779, the remains of Captain James Cook were sewn up in canvas and, after a funeral prayer read by Captain Clerke, lowered into the water of the bay. The crew lowered the Union Jack and fired a ten-gun salute. Many of the sailors and infantrymen on the decks of both ships wept openly. The Hawaiians did not observe the ceremony from the shore, as the chief had placed a taboo on the bay. The next morning the British raised their sails and left the islands forever.

James Cook's achievements in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and Australia radically changed ideas about the geography of the world and proved that he was the best navigator that ever lived in England.

Who is guilty?

But what really happened that morning at Kealakekua Bay? How was the battle in which Cook died?

Here is what First Officer James Burney writes: “Through binoculars we saw Captain Cook hit with a club and fall from the cliff into the water.” Bernie was most likely standing on the deck of the Discovery. And here is what the captain of the ship Clark said about the death of Cook: “It was exactly 8 o’clock when we were alarmed by a gun salvo, given by people Captain Cook, and loud Indian cries were heard. Through the telescope, I clearly saw that our people were running towards the boats, but who exactly was running, I could not see in the confused crowd.”

Eighteenth-century ships were not particularly spacious: the Clerk was unlikely to be far from Burney, but he did not see individual people. What's the matter? The participants of Cook's expedition left behind a huge amount of texts: historians count 45 manuscripts of diaries, ship's logs and notes, as well as 7 books printed in the 18th century.

But that’s not all: the ship’s log of James King (the author of the official history of the third expedition) was accidentally found in government archives in the 1970s. And not all the texts were written by members of the wardroom: the fascinating memoirs of the German Hans Zimmermann speak about the life of the sailors, and historians learned a lot of new things from a completely plagiarized book by a dropout student, John Ledyard, corporal of the Marines.

So, 45 memoirs tell about the events of the morning of February 14, and the differences between them are not purely accidental, the result of gaps in the memory of sailors trying to recreate the terrible events. What the British “saw with their own eyes” is dictated by the complex relationships on the ship: envy, patronage and loyalty, personal ambitions, rumors and slander.

The memoirs themselves were written not only out of a desire to bask in the glory of Captain Cook or to make money: the texts of the crew members are replete with insinuations, irritated hints at hiding the truth, and, in general, do not resemble the memories of old friends about a wonderful journey.

Tension in the crew had been building for a long time: it was inevitable during a long voyage on cramped ships, an abundance of orders, the wisdom of which was obvious only to the captain and his inner circle, and the expectation of inevitable hardships during the upcoming search for the Northwest Passage in polar waters. However, the conflicts spilled over into open form only once - with the participation of two heroes of the future drama in Kealakekua Bay: a duel took place in Tahiti between Marine Lieutenant Phillips and Resolution's third mate John Williamson. All that is known about the duel is that three bullets passed over the heads of its participants without causing them harm.

The character of both Irishmen was not sweet. Phillips, who suffered heroically from the Hawaiian guns (he was wounded while retreating to the boats), ended his life as a London bum, playing cards in small quantities and beating his wife. Williamson was disliked by many officers. “This is a scoundrel who was hated and feared by his subordinates, hated by his equals and despised by his superiors,” one of the midshipmen wrote in his diary.

But the crew’s hatred fell on Williamson only after Cook’s death: all eyewitnesses agree that at the very beginning of the collision the captain gave some kind of signal to Williamson’s people who were in the boats off the shore. What Cook intended to express with this unknown gesture will forever remain a mystery. The lieutenant stated that he understood it as “Save yourself, swim away!” and gave the appropriate command.

Unfortunately for him, the other officers were convinced that Cook was desperately calling for help. The sailors could provide fire support, drag the captain into the boat, or at least recapture the corpse from the Hawaiians... Williamson had a dozen officers and marines from both ships against him. Phillips, according to Ledyard's recollection, was even ready to shoot the lieutenant on the spot.

Clark (the new captain) was immediately required to investigate. However, the main witnesses (we do not know who they were - most likely the bosses on the pinnace and skiff, who were also offshore under Williamson's command) withdrew their testimony and accusations against the third mate. Did they do this sincerely, not wanting to ruin an officer who found himself in a difficult and ambiguous situation? Or were their superiors putting pressure on them? We are unlikely to know this - the sources are very scarce. In 1779, while on his deathbed, Captain Clark destroyed all papers related to the investigation.

The only fact is that the leaders of the expedition (King and Clark) decided not to blame Williamson for the death of Cook. However, rumors immediately spread on the ships that Williamson had stolen documents from Clark's locker after the captain's death, or even earlier had given brandy to all the marines and sailors so that they would remain silent about the lieutenant's cowardice upon returning to England.

The truth of these rumors cannot be confirmed: but it is important that they circulated for the reason that Williamson not only avoided the tribunal, but also succeeded in every possible way. Already in 1779 he was promoted to second, and then to first mate. His successful career in the navy was interrupted only by an incident in 1797: as captain of the Agincourt, at the Battle of Camperdown, he once again misinterpreted a signal (this time a naval one), avoided attacking enemy ships and was court-martialed for dereliction of duty. A year later he died.

In his diary, Clark describes what happened to Cook on the shore according to Phillips: the whole story boils down to the misadventures of the wounded marine, and not a word is said about the behavior of other members of the team. James King also showed favor towards Williamson: in the official history of the voyage, Cook's gesture was described as a matter of philanthropy: the captain tried to keep his people from brutally shooting the unfortunate Hawaiians. Moreover, King places the blame for the tragic collision on Marine Lieutenant Rickman, who shot a Hawaiian on the other side of the bay (which enraged the natives).

It would seem that everything is clear: the authorities are covering up the obvious culprit in Cook’s death - for some reason of their own. And then, using his connections, he makes a stunning career. However, the situation is not so clear-cut. Interestingly, the team is roughly evenly split between Williamson haters and defenders - and the composition of each group deserves close attention.

"Landing at Tanna". Painting by William Hodges. One of the characteristic episodes of contact between the British and the inhabitants of Oceania.

British Navy: hopes and disappointments

The officers of "Resolution" and "Discovery" were not at all pleased with the great scientific significance of the expedition: most of them were ambitious young people who were not at all eager to carry out best years on the sidelines in cramped cabins. In the 18th century, promotions were mainly given by wars: at the beginning of each conflict, the “demand” for officers increased - assistants were promoted to captains, midshipmen to assistants. It is not surprising that the crew members sadly sailed from Plymouth in 1776: literally before their eyes, the conflict with the American colonists flared up, and they had to “rot” for four years in the dubious search for the Northwest Passage.

The British Navy, by the standards of the 18th century, was a relatively democratic institution: people far from power, wealth and noble blood could serve and rise to commanding heights there. To look far for examples, one can recall Cook himself, the son of a Scottish farm laborer, who began his naval career as a cabin boy on a coal-mining brig.

However, one should not think that the system automatically selected the most worthy: the price for relative democracy “at the entrance” was the dominant role of patronage. All officers built support networks, looked for loyal patrons in the command and in the Admiralty, earning a reputation for themselves. That is why the death of Cook and Clark meant that all contacts and agreements reached with the captains during the voyage went to waste.

Having reached Canton, the officers learned that the war with the rebel colonies was in full swing, and all the ships were already equipped. But no one cares much about the disastrous (the Northwest Passage was not found, Cook died) geographical expedition. “The crew felt how much they would lose in rank and wealth, and also deprived of the consolation that they were being led home by an old commander, whose known merits could help the affairs of the last voyage be heard and appreciated even in those troubled times,” King writes in in his journal (December 1779). In the 1780s, the Napoleonic War was still far away, and only a few received promotions. Many junior officers followed the example of Midshipman James Trevenen and joined the Russian fleet(who, we recall, fought against the Swedes and Turks in the 1780s).

In this regard, it is curious that the loudest voices against Williamson were midshipmen and mates who were at the very beginning of their careers in the navy. They missed their luck (the war with the American colonies), and even one single vacancy was a fairly valuable prize. Williamson's title (third mate) did not yet give him much opportunity to take revenge on his accusers, and his trial would create an excellent opportunity to remove a competitor. Combined with personal antipathy towards Williamson, this more than explains why he was vilified and called the main scoundrel for Cook's death. Meanwhile, many senior members of the team (Bernie, although he was a close friend of Phillips, draftsman William Ellis, Resolution first mate John Gore, Discovery master Thomas Edgar) did not find anything reprehensible in Williamson’s actions.

For approximately the same reasons (career future), in the end, part of the blame was shifted to Rickman: he was much older than most of the members of the wardroom, began his service already in 1760, “missed” the beginning of the Seven Years’ War and did not receive a promotion for 16 years. That is, he did not have strong patrons in the fleet, and his age did not allow him to form friendships with a company of young officers. As a result, Rickman turned out to be almost the only member of the team who did not receive any more titles at all.

In addition, by attacking Williamson, many officers, of course, tried to avoid awkward questions: on the morning of February 14, many of them were on the island or in boats and could have acted more proactively if they heard shots, and retreating to the ships without trying to recapture the bodies of the dead also looks suspicious. The future captain of the Bounty, William Bligh (master on the Resolution), directly accused Phillips' Marines of fleeing the battlefield. The fact that 11 of the 17 Marines on the Resolution were subjected to corporal punishment during the voyage (under Cook's personal orders) also makes one wonder how willing they were to sacrifice their lives for the captain.

But, one way or another, the authorities put an end to the proceedings: King and Clark made it clear that no one should be put on trial. Most likely, even if the trial of Williamson did not take place thanks to the influential patrons of the ambitious Irishman (even his long-time enemy Phillips refused to testify against him at the Admiralty - under the flimsy pretext that he allegedly had bad personal relations with the accused), the captains preferred to make a Solomon decision .

None of the surviving members of the crew should have become a scapegoat, guilty of the tragic death of the great captain: circumstances, vile natives and (as read between the lines of the memoirs) the arrogance and recklessness of Cook himself, who hoped almost single-handedly to take a local hostage, were to blame leader. “There is good reason to suppose that the natives would not have gone so far had not, unfortunately, Captain Cook fired upon them: a few minutes before they had begun to clear a path for the soldiers to reach that place on the shore , against which the boats stood (I have already mentioned this), thus giving Captain Cook the opportunity to get away from them,” says the Clerk’s diaries.

Now it becomes clearer why the Clerk and Bernie saw such different scenes through their telescopes. This was determined by the place in the complex system of “checks and balances”, status hierarchy and the struggle for a place in the sun, which took place on board the ships of the scientific expedition. What prevented the Clerk from seeing the captain’s death (or talking about it) was not so much the “confused crowd” as the officer’s desire to remain above the fray and ignore evidence of the guilt of individual members of the crew (many of whom were his protégés, others protégés of his London superiors).

From left to right: Daniel Solander, Joseph Banks, James Cook, John Hawksford and Lord Sandwich. Painting. Author - John Hamilton Mortimer, 1771

What is the meaning of what happened?

History is not simply objective events that happened or did not happen. We know about the past only from the stories of the participants in these events, stories that are often fragmentary, confusing and contradictory. However, one should not draw a conclusion from this about the fundamental incompatibility of individual points of view, which supposedly represent autonomous and incompatible pictures of the world. Scientists, even if they are not able to authoritatively state how “it really happened,” can find probable reasons, common interests and other solid layers of reality behind the apparent chaos of “witness testimony”.

This is what we tried to do - to unravel the network of motives a little, to discern the elements of the system that forced the team members to act, see and remember exactly this way and not otherwise.

Personal relationships, career interests. But there is another layer: the national-ethnic level. Cook's ships represented a cross-section of imperial society: representatives of peoples and, most importantly, regions, to varying degrees remote from the metropolis (London), sailed there, in which all the main issues were resolved and the process of “civilizing” the British took place. Cornish and Scots, natives of the American colonies and the West Indies, Northern England and Ireland, Germans and Welsh... Their relationships during and after the voyage, the influence of prejudices and stereotypes on what is happening, scientists have yet to understand.

But history is not a criminal investigation: the last thing I wanted was to finally identify who was responsible for the death of Captain Cook: be it the “coward” Williamson, the “inactive” sailors and marines on shore, the “evil” natives, or the “arrogant” navigator himself.

It is naive to consider Cook’s team a squad of heroes of science, “white men” in identical uniforms. This is a complex system of personal and professional relationships, with its own crises and conflict situations, passions and calculated actions. And by chance this structure explodes in dynamics with an event. Cook's death confused all the cards for the expedition members, but forced them to burst out with passionate, emotional notes and memoirs and, thus, shed light on relationships and patterns that, with a more favorable outcome of the voyage, would have remained in the darkness of obscurity.

But the death of Captain Cook can be a useful lesson in the 21st century: often only similar extraordinary events (accident, death, explosion, escape, leak) can reveal the internal structure and modus operandi of secret (or at least not publicizing their principles) organizations , be it the crew of a submarine or the diplomatic corps.

sources
A. Maksimov

For a long time there were no stamps with images of travelers and their famous sailing ships. Today's story is about James Cook's second voyage around the world on the sloop Resolution and his unsuccessful attempt to discover Antarctica. As always, brands will help us with this. And the story about the first journey can be found.

Australian Antarctic Territories stamp, 1972 (Michel AQ 22, Scott AQ L22)

James Cook's second voyage around the world

In 1772, England equipped another long-distance geographical expedition to southern seas and James Cook again becomes its boss. The expedition this time consisted of two ships, Cook commanded the ship Resolution, the captain of the second, Adventure, was Furneaux.

On July 13, 1772, the ships left Plymouth. Rounding the cape Good Hope The ships headed southeast and on January 17, 1773 crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time.

HMS Endeavor - ship James Cook, on which the famous navigator made his first trip around the world.

Bark "Endeavour" launched in 1764 in the Yorkshire town Whitby and had the name "Earl of Pembroke" (Earl of Pembroke). The main mission of the ship was to transport coal. But in 1768 the ship was acquired by the English Admiralty, then it was chosen for its expedition James Cook and renamed it to "Endeavour" - "Aspiration".

The Endeavor was an ugly but strong vessel with excellent seaworthiness. It had a straight, wide bow, shallow draft and all-wood planking. Two of its three masts (foresail and mainsail) carried straight sails; the cruisel and counter-mizzen were raised on the mizzen. Under the bowsprit there was a blind and a bomb blind. In good wind "Endeavour" could travel at speeds of up to 8 knots, which was very good at that time. The length of the sailing ship was 36 meters, the width was slightly more than 9 meters, and the displacement was 360 tons. The sailing ship's armament consisted of 22 guns: 10 cannons and 12 mortars on rotating carriages. Additionally for "Endeavour" a longboat (for transporting food and water) and a captain's boat were built.

August 26, 1768 Captain James Cook went out on the ship "Endeavour" from English Plymouth and headed for Tahiti. The official purpose of this trip was to study an astronomical phenomenon: transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun, unofficial - search Southern mainland and exploration of southern latitudes. The expedition was led by an English scientist Joseph Banks.

April 10, 1769 "Endeavour" dropped anchor off the coast of Tahiti. Contrary to established tradition, the British behaved quite peacefully; they tried to exchange food and water from local residents rather than take them by force. Team members were prohibited from using violence against Aboriginal people. Here in Tahiti, Cook's team observed the passage of Venus through the solar disk. And since the official purpose of the journey was fulfilled, "Endeavour" went to the shores New Zealand. James Cook it was discovered that New Zealand consists of two islands separated by straits. Subsequently, this strait was named Cook Strait.

In April 1770 Cook has reached eastern shore Australia and dropped anchor in the bay, where many unknown plants were discovered. Cook named this bay - Botanical. June 11, 1770 "Endeavour" ran aground and significantly damaged the hull. The hole was plugged with canvas, the ship required major repairs. But it so happened that "Endeavour" was cut off from the coast of Australia by the Great Barrier Reef, and the ship with a hole in its side had to travel 360 miles to round the reef. Thanks to this, another discovery was made - a strait was discovered separating New Guinea and Australia. Through this strait "Endeavour" proceeded to Indonesia, where it was put in port for repairs Batavia. Despite the fact that no one died of scurvy on the ship (of which Cook was so proud), a malaria epidemic began on the ship in Indonesia. In the spring of 1771 "Endeavour" reached African Cape Town. During this period, 22 crew members died on the ship from malaria and dysentery, and the crew had to be supplemented. On July 12, 1771, James Cook returned to England.

As a result of this expedition, Australia became an English colony, a number of islands were also annexed to England, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean and the coast of Australia were explored and described. It is believed that "Endeavour"- the first ship on which longitude was determined.

Information about the fate of Cook's ship after the voyage is contradictory: according to one version "Endeavour" was sold to a French merchant, renamed "La Liberte" (Freedom) and transported to North America, according to another version, the sailing ship simply rotted off the banks of the Thames, and then was dismantled.

In honor of the famous sailing ship "Endeavour" in 1971 the command module of the ninth manned spacecraft was named spaceship Apollo 15. And in 1993, a replica of the legendary sailing ship built by John Longley was launched.