Page 64 - All About History - Issue 29-15

HE & ES

VILL INS

Captain

James Cook

Cook
The explorer who made waves
and his men
throughout the world on his voyages saw the Tahitians
across uncharted oceans dyeing their skin,
starting the tradition
Written by Jamie Frier
of sailors tattooing
aptain James Cook stands alongside Sir who taught him how to use the charting tools themselves
Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake as and draw maps, before striking out on his own
one of Britain’s most renowned sailors and and mapping Gaspe Bay. He then moved onto the
explorers. His three voyages abroad resulted greater task of mapping the key battleground of the
C in the discovery of New Zealand, Tahiti, Saint Lawrence river.
Hawaii and the east coast of Australia, which He spent months working under cover of
helped Britain expand its global empire and learn darkness to avoid detection by French forces,
much about these far-flung lands. eventually creating the map of the river. This
Born in Marton, Yorkshire, in 1728, Cook began enabled the British to sail down the river and
his working life as an assistant shopkeeper, but capture Quebec, which was a major turning point
quickly realised that he was destined for a career in the war. Cook was heralded as master surveyor
at sea. He became an apprentice master mariner by and spent the next eight years mapping out the
the age of 18, before earning the rank of mate on east coast of Canada. His contribution to the war
the ship Friendship six years later. He turned down effort was recognised, and this success, along with
the opportunity to join a merchant ship in 1755, his studies of mathematics and astronomy, earned
choosing instead to enrol in the Royal Navy. Within him the commandership of the Endeavour.
two years he had risen to the rank of master of the Astronomers knew that Venus was set to cross
Pembroke, a 64-gun ship headed for Canada to fight over the Sun in June 1769, but it was only going
against the French in the Seven Years’ War. to be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. The
It was here that he first made his name in naval British government decided it would be valuable for
circles by charting the Saint Lawrence river. He this to be observed, so put together a crew led by
learned his craft under surveyor Samuel Holland, Cook. The observation was the primary goal of the
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