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James Cook was born in Marton, England, in 1728. In his formative years, he worked for his father as a labourer on his farm, but it wasn’t long before the call of the sea enticed him away from dry land. By the age of eighteen he was discovering his sea legs aboard a coal transport ship, traditionally the type of boat that sailors used to learn their trade upon.
In 1755 he enlisted as an Able Seaman aboard the ‘Eagle’, and such was his ability as a sailor that he was quickly promoted to Master’s Mate. In 1759, after being promoted once more to the rank of Master, James Cook set about charting the waters in and around Newfoundland, including the St. Lawrence River. He did this meticulously and unerringly for a period of eight years. To get an idea how accurate his charts were, consider that they were still being used in the early part of the twentieth century.
It had been suggested that by measuring the transit of Venus (how long it took for Venus to pass over the sun, a rare occurrence), one could work out how far the earth was from the Sun. The aristocracy of England were eager to find this out, and so commissioned a voyage to the South Pacific to carry out this task. Captain James Cook was chosen to command the ‘Endeavour’, and he was also instructed to explore as much of the South Pacific along the way. He set off in 1768, discovering such places as Tahiti, New Zealand and Eastern Australia. Although the voyage was considered a success, the crew suffered a 43% fatality rate, mainly caused by disease. Cook took note of this and implemented a new diet, including as much fresh food as possible.
It was with this new dietary regime that Cook the explorer set off on his second voyage, aboard the ‘Resolution’ (accompanied by the ‘Adventure’). His aim was to prove the existence of the great southern continent Antarctica. He managed to circle the continent, but couldn’t reach it to prove its existence, due to the ships’ inability to penetrate thick ice. The good news upon returning to England however was that there was a fatality rate of less than 1% caused by disease, due to his dietary reforms.
James Cook’s third and final great voyage was performed in an attempt to find a Northwest Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1778, he passed the western coast of North America, and attempted to pass through the Arctic Ocean. Thick ice prevented him from continuing, so he returned his ship to a Hawaiian island to replenish stores and refurbish his ship. A second attempt the next year was also unsuccessful, so he returned once more to the island. This time the theft of one of Cook’s boats caused him to go ashore to confront the natives. After a heated argument, fighting broke out, and Captain James Cook was killed, the victim of a clubbing from behind.
Captain James Cook was one of the truly great explorers. He combined great skill and courage in order to go far in his adventures, and through his actions made life on the sea much safer for future generations. In essence, he was a man before his time.
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