This time, the Admiralty clearly formulated the goal of the expedition - to open a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the north of 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 opened was already open.

James Cook's third expedition route

This time the expedition also consisted of 2 ships: the proven flagship "Resolution" and the second ship of smaller displacement - "Discovery". The ships started on different dates in the middle of the summer of 1776. They united in Cape Town and on December 1 went to the Pacific Ocean. On January 26, 1777, both ships were already in Tasmania. Then, through New Zealand, we went to the Friendship Islands and then to Tahiti, which became almost native to Kuku, where we arrived on 12 August.

And on December 7, 1777, the ships headed north. We crossed the equator on December 22. 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 their commander. Cook named from Sandwich, but not after the sandwich, but after one of the inspirers of his travels, the First Lord of the Admiralty Jonah Sandwichand. (Alas, the lord was not lucky - the name did not catch on.)

A week later, they moved to the coast of North America, got into a storm and, having approached the coast, in the area of \u200b\u200bpresent-day Vancouver, they began to be repaired. On April 26 we moved on. In Alaska, repairs began again. Then, at the beginning of August, they passed the strait separating Asia and America, crossed the Arctic Circle and entered the Chukchi Sea. And then the ships ran into the ice hummocks. It was impossible to go further. Winter was approaching, so Cook decided to turn to warm lands.

Meeting with Russians

On October 2, 1778, Cook first met Russian industrialists in the Aleutian Islands. , which turned out to be much more accurate than the cards that 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 greeted by thousands of natives, who apparently mistook Cook for one of their deities.

Good-neighborly relations were established with the islanders, but the natives turned out to be a thieving people, dragging everything that came to hand. In order not to aggravate relations, Cook left the bay, but, unfortunately, "Resolution" got into a storm, the rigging was seriously damaged and needed mandatory repair. The expedition had no choice but to return to the ill-fated islands, for there was no other camp nearby. Everything that needed repair was pulled ashore - sails, rigging and so on. Meanwhile, the attitude of the aborigines became openly hostile. “And everyone was urged on by a sorcerer, a sly and a wicked man! Atu guys, grab Cook! "

Why did the natives eat Cook

On February 14, 1778, the natives hijacked the longboat. The commander's patience came to an end, and Cook decided to take one of the native leaders hostage. With a group of armed sailors, he went to the village, invited the leader to the ship. He pretended to accept the invitation, but then resisted. And his fellow tribesmen surrounded the detachment in large numbers. Who exactly started the fight the story is silent, the natives killed Cook himself and several of his comrades in a clash.

Thus, the third voyage around the world was the last for James Cook. He, like Fernando Magellan, died at the hands of the natives on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. It happened on the evening of February 14, 1779. It turns out that on Valentine's Day.

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

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 Route around North America was not open

The great navigator Cook found dead at the hands of the aborigines.

More pages about James Cook and his expedition

P composers of the Age of Geographical Discoveries

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

Usually, the captain and talented cartographer James Cook is known to be a South Sea explorer who was killed and eaten by the natives. Contrary to popular belief, it was not eaten, or at least it was not the key moment of the tragedy that unfolded from January 16 to February 14, 1779 in Hawaii.

What then happened there? 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 the age of seventeen, Cook entered a grocery store as an employee. But after a while he asked to be an apprentice to the shipowners, the Walker brothers, who were engaged in the transportation of coal.

For almost ten years he went on coasters with coal. In between voyages, Cook pored over heaps of books on mathematics, navigational science, 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 mate. Three years later, the brothers decided to make James the captain. But they could not keep a 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 the foreman - at the age of 32.

First expeditions

Cook began the journey from Plymouth in August 1768. On board "Endeavor" there were 94 people, which included crew members and scientists. As early as April of the following year, they reached Tahiti, where the locals happily greeted the sailors. Cook then went to the shores of New Zealand, where he met the Maori tribes with military canoes. Then there were the coast of Tasmania and the east coast of Australia. The ship "Endeavor" nearly crashed on coral reefs, but Cook's crew coped with the danger.

While sailing off the coast of Batavia (present-day Jakarta), many crew members died of fever. Cook managed to prevent the spread of the disease by keeping the ship perfectly clean. In 1771, after a three-year journey, Cook returned to England. From the crew, only 56 crew members were able to set foot on their homeland.

Trip around the world

A year after the first trip, it was decided to start a second trip under the command of Cook. The captain and his crew were to make a round-the-world trip in the latitudes of Antarctica on two ships of the same as the Endeavor.
During this voyage, Cook first tested a marine watch (chronometer), which was created by John Harrison and proved to be very accurate.

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 weather they were forced to return. After that, Cook went to New Zealand, where he traded with the Maori tribes. Then he visited Tahiti again, explored the Melanesian and Polynesian Islands, before heading to England via South Africa. During this journey, many of Cook's crew died from disease, and some were killed while meeting with the Maori tribes.
After this voyage, James Cook was promoted to become captain of the ship in the rank of "captain", bestowed by King George III of England.

Fatal expedition

On the last voyage, Cook's ships left the English port of Plymouth in 1776. The mission of the expedition was to find the Northwest route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in North America.

Cook circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope, crossed the Indian Ocean and visited New Zealand and Tahiti. His way lay in the North - the British Parliament promised the crew of the ship that would make the discovery £ 20,000 - 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 in the Hawaiian archipelago). A strong headwind prevented the ships from approaching the island and carried them northwest to the island of Kauai.

The ships anchored in Waimea Bay. The reigning chief decided to send his representatives aboard. Those who got on the ship were horrified: they mistook the officers' cocked hats for triangular heads. Cook presented a dagger to one of the tall chiefs who came aboard. The impression was so strong that the leader announced the new name of his daughter - Dagger.
Subsequently, Cook walked unarmed among the Hawaiians, who hailed him as the highest leader. They fell prostrate on the ground as he approached and offered him food, mats and burl (material from tree bark) as a gift.

Death of Cook. Painting by the Anglo-German artist Johann Zoffani (1795)

Hawaiians excitedly discussed the vast wealth of foreigners. Some were not averse to grabbing the iron objects that they saw on the deck, but the tall shaman warned them not to do so. He himself was uncertain whether to attribute foreigners to gods or mere mortals. In the end, he decided to arrange a simple test: to offer women to the foreigners. If the British agree, then they are clearly not gods, but mere mortals. The British, naturally, failed the exam, but many Hawaiians were still in doubt.

Two weeks later, having rested and replenished the supply of food, the ships sailed north. But already at the end of November 1778 Cook returned to Hawaii. After a while, 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 boarded 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 petty, albeit annoying thefts were ignored.
As the ships made repairs and resupplied food, some Hawaiians grew more and more convinced that the British were mere mortals. They politely hinted to the sailors that it was time and honor to know, and that they could 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 the departure of the British. However, on the very first night, the ships were caught in a storm and the forward mast of the Resolution cracked. I had to go back. Cook knew only one convenient bay nearby - Kealakekua.

When the ships entered the familiar bay, its shores were deserted. The boat sent ashore returned with the news that King Kalaniopuu had put a taboo on the entire bay. Such taboos were common in Hawaii. Usually, after the land and its resources were used up, the chiefs forbade entry there for a time in order to allow the restoration of sea and land resources.

The British felt a growing anxiety, but they needed to repair the mast. The next day the king visited the bay and greeted the English in a friendly way, but the mood of the Hawaiians had already somehow changed. The initial warmth of the relationship gradually melted away. In one case, it almost came to a skirmish when the chiefs ordered the Hawaiians not to help a team that went ashore for water. Six sailors guarding the work on the shore were ordered to load their guns with bullets instead of shot. Cook and his trusted officer, James King, landed to settle a dispute over water between the crew and the islanders. They had barely resolved the controversial issue when they heard the sound of musket fire in the direction of the Discovery ship. A canoe rushed from the ship towards the shore. The Hawaiians seated in it rowed 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 boatswain of Discovery had decided to go ashore and seize the thieves' canoe. As it turned out, the canoe belonged to a friend of the British, the leader of Palea. When Palea demanded his canoe back, a skirmish ensued, during which the chief was hit on the head with an oar. The Hawaiians rushed at the British, and they were forced to hide among the stones on the shore. Fortunately, Palea restored order and the rivals supposedly parted ways as friends.

At dawn the next day, the British found that the boat, tied to a buoy a dozen yards from the ship, had disappeared. Cook was furious as she was the best on board. He ordered to block the bay 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 hold him there until his subjects returned the boat.

Cook Observing 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 resounded over the bay. The Hawaiians were visibly alarmed. Cook had 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 leader when he was trying to leave the bay in his canoe.

This was a declaration of war. Women and children disappeared. The men put on protective wicker mats, spears, daggers, stones and clubs appeared in their hands. Cook went knee-deep into the water and turned to call boats and order a ceasefire. At that moment, a crushing blow of 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 convince the Hawaiians to return the bodies of the fallen. During the night the sentries heard the cautious sound of oars near the side of the Resolution and fired into the darkness. They nearly hit two Hawaiians who asked for permission to board. In their hands they carried a small parcel wrapped in tapa (tanned fabric made from tree bark). They solemnly unfolded the tapa, and in the wavering light of the lantern, the British were horrified to see the bloody meat that had apparently been cut from Cook's body.

The British were horrified by such treatment of the body of their captain, some began to suspect the Hawaiians of cannibals. And yet, Cook's remains were treated like the bodies of the tallest leaders. 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 the scalp. The terrible treatment was, in fact, the highest honor on the part of the Hawaiians.

Over the next few days, the British retaliated brutally. One of the results of the bloodshed was that the frightened Hawaiians decided to return Cook's additional remains to the British. One of the chiefs, wearing 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 into canvas and, after a funeral prayer recited by Captain Clerke, were lowered into the water of the bay. The crew lowered the British flag and gave a ten-shot salute. Many of the sailors and infantrymen on the decks of both ships cried openly. Hawaiians did not observe the ceremony from the shore, as the chief had placed a taboo on the bay. The next morning the British set sail and left the islands for good.

James Cook's accomplishments in the exploration of the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia radically changed the geography of the world and proved that he was the best navigator ever to live in England.

Who is guilty?

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

First Mate James Burney writes: "Through binoculars we saw Captain Cook hit with a club and fall off a 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 told about the death of Cook: “It was exactly 8 o'clock when we were alarmed by a gun salvo given by Captain Cook's men, and strong shouts of the Indians 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. "

The ships of the 18th century were not very spacious: the clerk was hardly far from Bernie, but he did not see individual people. What's the matter? The members of Cook's expedition left behind a huge number of texts: historians count 45 manuscripts of diaries, ship logs and notes, as well as 7 books printed in the 18th century.

But that's not all: the logbook 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 of 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 have learned a lot from the plagiarized book of a dropout student John Ledyard, a Marine corporal.

So, 45 memoirs are told about the events of the morning of February 14, and the differences between them are not pure coincidence, 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 a difficult relationship 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 rays of Captain Cook's glory or to make money: the texts of the crew members are replete with innuendo, irritated hints of hiding the truth, and, in general, do not look like old friends' memories of a wonderful journey.

Tension in the crew had been accumulating for a long time: this was inevitable during a long voyage on cramped ships, an abundance of orders, the rationality 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 circumpolar waters. However, the conflicts spilled over into an open form only once - with the participation of two heroes of the future drama in Kealakekua Bay: in Tahiti, a duel took place between Marine lieutenant Phillips and the third assistant of the "Resolution" John Williamson. The only thing known about the duel was that three bullets passed over the heads of its participants without causing any harm.

The character of both Irish was not sugar. Phillips, heroically injured by Hawaiian weapons (injured while retreating to the boats), ended his life as a London bum, playing cards on trifles and beating his wife. Williamson, on the other hand, was disliked by many officers. “This is a scoundrel who was hated and feared by his subordinates, who could not be tolerated by his peers and despised by his superiors,” one of the midshipmen wrote in his diary.

But the hatred of the crew 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 coast. What Cook wanted 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 sure 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 ... Against Williamson there were a dozen officers and marines from both ships. 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 are - most likely the chiefs on the pinnacle and the skiff, who were also subordinate to Williamson off the coast) withdrew their testimony and charges against the third assistant. Did they do it sincerely, not wanting to ruin the officer in a difficult and ambiguous situation? Or were they pressured by their superiors? We are unlikely to find out - the sources are very scarce. In 1779, while on his deathbed, Captain Clark destroyed all papers related to the investigation.

It is only a fact that the leaders of the expedition (King and Clark) decided not to blame Williamson for the death of Cook. However, rumors immediately circulated on the ships that Williamson had stolen documents from Clark's locker after the captain's death, or even earlier issued brandy to all the Marines and sailors to keep silent about the lieutenant's cowardice upon returning to England.

It is impossible to confirm the truth of these rumors: but it is important that they circulated for the reason that Williamson not only escaped the tribunal, but also succeeded in every possible way. Already in 1779 he was promoted to the second, and then to the first mate. His successful career in the navy was interrupted only by the incident of 1797: as captain of the Agincourt, in the battle of Camperdown, he once again misinterpreted the signal (this time at sea), dodged an attack on enemy ships and went to court for non-performance of his call of duty. He died a year later.

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

It would seem that everything is clear: the authorities are covering up the obvious culprit of Cook's death - for some reason. And then, using his connections, he makes a stunning career. However, the situation is not so straightforward. It is curious that the team is divided into approximately equal numbers of Williamson's haters and defenders - and the composition of each group deserves close attention.

Landing at Tann. 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 the Resolution and Discovery were not at all happy about the great scientific significance of the expedition: for the most part they were ambitious young people who did not at all want to spend their 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, warrant officers - to assistants. Not surprisingly, the crew members sailed longingly from Plymouth in 1776: literally before their very eyes, a conflict flared up with the American colonists, and they had four years to "rot" in the dubious search for the Northwest Passage.

By the standards of the 18th century, the British navy was a relatively democratic institution: people far from power, wealth and noble blood could serve and rise to command heights there. To get close to examples, we can recall Cook himself, the son of a Scottish farm laborer, who began his naval career as a cabin boy at a coal 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 team and in the Admiralty, earning a reputation for themselves. That is why the deaths of Cook and Clark meant that all contacts and agreements reached with the captains during the voyage went to dust.

Having reached Canton, the officers learned that the war with the rebellious colonies was in full swing, and all the ships were already manned. But before the disastrous (the Northwest Passage was not found, Cook died), no one cares much about the geographical expedition. “The crew felt how much they would lose in ranks and wealth, even deprived of the consolation that an old commander was taking her home, whose renowned merits could help the affairs of the last voyage be heard and appreciated even in those turbulent times,” King writes in his journal (December 1779). In the 1780s, the war with Napoleon was still a long way off, and only a few were promoted. Many junior officers followed the example of midshipman James Trevenin and went to serve in the Russian fleet (which, recall, in the 1780s fought against the Swedes and Turks).

In this regard, it is curious that the midshipmen and assistants of the master, who were at the very beginning of their career in the navy, spoke out loudest against Williamson. They missed their luck (the war with the American colonies), and even a single vacancy was quite a valuable prize. Williamson's title (third mate) did not yet give him much opportunity to take revenge on prosecutors, 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 villain who killed Cook. Meanwhile, many of the senior members of the team (Bernie, although he was a close friend of Phillips, draftsman William Ellis, First Assistant to Resolution John Gore, Discovery Master Thomas Edgar) did not find anything reprehensible in Williamson's actions.

For about 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 service as early as 1760, "missed" the beginning of the Seven Years War and did not receive a promotion in 16 years. That is, he did not have strong patrons in the fleet, and his age did not allow him to strike up friendship with a company of young officers. As a result, Rickman was 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 uncomfortable questions: on the morning of February 14, many of them were on the island or in boats and could have acted more proactively after hearing shots, and retreating to ships without trying to recapture the bodies of the dead. looks suspicious. Future Captain of the Bounty, William Bly (master on the Resolution), bluntly accused Phillips' Marines of fleeing the battlefield. The fact that 11 of the 17 Marines from the Resolution were subjected to corporal punishment during the voyage (by personal order of Cook) also makes you wonder how much they were willing 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 brought to court. Most likely, even if the trial of Williamson did not take place thanks to the influential patrons of the ambitious Irishman (even his longtime enemy Phillips refused to testify against him in the Admiralty - under the far-fetched pretext that he had a bad personal relationship with the accused), the captains preferred to make the Solomon decision ...

None of the surviving members of the team was supposed to become a scapegoat, guilty of the tragic death of the great captain: the circumstances, the vile natives and (as one can read between the lines of the memoirs) were to blame for the arrogance and recklessness of Cook himself, who hoped to take the local hostage almost alone the leader. “There is good reason to believe that the natives would not have gone so far if, unfortunately, Captain Cook had not fired at them: a few minutes before, they had begun to clear a path for the soldiers so that the latter could reach that place on the shore , against which the boats were standing (I 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", the status hierarchy and the struggle for a place in the sun, which went on board the ships of the scientific expedition. The clerk was prevented from seeing (or telling about) the death of the captain, not so much by the "confused crowd" as by the officer's desire to stay above the fight and ignore the evidence of guilt of individual crew members (many of whom were his protégé, and others - the protégé of his London bosses).

From left to right: Daniel Solander, Joseph Banks, James Cook, John Hawksford, and Lord Sandwich. Picture. Written by John Hamilton Mortimer, 1771

What is the meaning of what happened?

History is not just 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, confused 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 non-joining pictures of the world. Scientists, if not able to authoritatively state how "it really was", can find probable causes, common interests and other solid layers of reality behind the obvious chaos of "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 major issues were resolved and the process of "civilizing" the British took place. Cornish and Scots, natives of the American colonies and West Indies, Northern England and Ireland, Germans and Welsh ... Their relationship during and after the voyage, the influence of prejudice and stereotypes on what is happening, scientists have yet to understand.

But history is not a criminal investigation: least of all, I tried to finally identify the culprit in the death of Captain Cook: whether it was the “coward” Williamson, “lack of initiative” sailors and marines on the coast, “evil” natives or the “arrogant” navigator himself.

It would be naive to regard Cook's team as a squad of heroes of science, "white people" in identical uniforms. It is a complex system of personal and professional relationships, with its own crises and conflict situations, passions and prudent actions. And by chance this structure in dynamics explodes with an event. The death of Cook confused all the cards for the expedition members, but made them burst into passionate, emotional notes and memoirs and, thus, shed light on relationships and patterns that, with a more favorable outcome of the voyage, would remain in the darkness of obscurity.

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

sources
A.Maksimov

Cook James (October 27, 1728, Marton village, Yorkshire, England - February 14, 1779, the island of Hawaii) - English navigator who circled the Earth three times, the first Antarctic seafarer, discoverer of the east coast of Australia, New Zealand; captain of the highest rank (corresponds to the Russian captain-commander; 1775), a member of the Royal Society (1776).

Childhood, adolescence and the beginning of a career as a navigator

First circumnavigation

Antarctic circumnavigation

Third voyage and the death of Cook

Cook as a person and a professional

Works:

Captain James Cook's first voyage around the world. Sailing on the Endeavor in 1768-1771 M., 1960.
James Cook's second circumnavigation of the world. Sailing to the South Pole and around the world in 1772-1775 M., 1964.
Captain James Cook's third voyage. Swimming in the Pacific Ocean in 1776-1780 M., 1971.

Literature:

McLean E. Captain Cook. M., 1976.
Light by Ya.M. James Cook. M., 1979.
Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. M., 1984.T. 3, ch. 21-23.

Endeavor (HMS Endeavor) - ship James Cook, on which the famous navigator made his first round the world voyage.

Barque "Endeavor" came off the stocks in 1764 in Yorkshire city Whitby and bore 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 to Endeavor - Aspiration.

The Endeavor was an ugly but sturdy vessel with excellent seaworthiness. It had a straight, wide nose, shallow draft, and all wood paneling. Two of its three masts (foresail and mainsail) carried straight sails, and the cruisel and counter-mizzen were raised on the mizzen. Blind and bomb-blind were located under the bowsprit. In good wind Endeavor could go at a speed of up to 8 knots, which was very good for those times. The length of the sailboat 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 rotary carriages. Additionally for Endeavor 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 Endeavor from english Plymouth and headed for Tahiti. The official purpose of this trip was to study an astronomical phenomenon: the passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun, unofficial same - the search for the southern continent and the study of southern latitudes. The expedition was led by an English scientist Joseph Banks.

April 10, 1769 Endeavor dropped anchor off the coast of Tahiti. Contrary to the established tradition, the British behaved quite peacefully, they tried to exchange food and water from the local residents, and not take it by force. Team members were prohibited from using violence against the aborigines. Here in Tahiti, Cook's team observed the passage of Venus through the solar disk. And since the official purpose of the journey has been fulfilled, Endeavor went to the shores New Zealand. James Cook it was discovered that New Zealand consists of two islands separated by straits. Later this strait was named the Cook Strait.

In April 1770 Cook reached the east coast Australia and anchored in the bay, where many unknown plants were discovered. Cook named this bay - Botanical... June 11, 1770 Endeavor ran aground and severely damaged the skin. The hole was plugged with canvas, the ship required major repairs. But it so happened that Endeavor was cut off from the shores of Australia by the Great Barrier Reef, and the vessel with the hole in the side had to travel 360 miles to round the reef. Thanks to this, another discovery was made - the strait separating New Guinea and Australia was discovered. Through this strait Endeavor proceeded to Indonesia, where he was delivered for repairs in the port Batavia... Despite the fact that no one on the ship died of scurvy (which Cook was so proud of), an epidemic of malaria began on the ship in Indonesia. In the spring of 1771 Endeavor reached African Cape Town... During this period, 22 crew members died on the ship from malaria and dysentery, the crew had to be replenished. 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 shores of Australia were explored and described. It's believed that Endeavor - the first ship on which longitude was determined.

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

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