mizzenmast On a ship with three masts, this is the one nearest the stern.
nautical mile A mathematical calculation based on the circumference of the Earth at the Equator.
Nore, The A sandbank that marks the official meeting point between the River Thames and the North Sea. It is roughly 6 miles to the north-east of Sheerness, in Kent, and some 4 miles south-east of Shoeburyness, on the Essex coast.
oakum Old pieces of rope picked to shreds and tarred for use as caulking. Known as rope junk.
offing Distance from shore, land or other navigational hazards.
pawl A hinged or pivoted catch on a ratchet wheel that prevents the wheel from slipping back.
pig iron/pigs of iron An oblong block of metal, usually iron or lead, used for ballast.
pinnace A small vessel with two fore-and-aft rigged masts; it can be rowed or sailed and usually carried men between shore and ship.
poop deck The short deck towards the stern above the quarterdeck of a ship. Similarly, ‘pooped’ is the term for when a wave breaks over the stern and onto the deck.
port The left-hand side of a vessel.
post-captain An alternative form of the rank of captain. It distinguished those who were captains by rank from officers in command of a naval vessel who were recognised as captain regardless of rank, and commanders who received the title of captain regardless of them being in command or not.
pounds, shillings, pence English currency.
put the wheel/helm down To turn the steering wheel in a particular direction.
quadrant A very simple instrument used to determine the altitude of a heavenly body.
quarterdeck The upper exposed deck at the stern of a vessel from the mainmast to the back, usually the territory of the ship’s officers.
quitted the chains Whereby the crewman heaving the lead to check water depth leaves his post in the chains and returns to the deck.
ratlines Bands of ropes lashed across the shrouds like steps, allowing crew to easily climb aloft.
reciprocal course/track To return along the course from whence you came.
reef/reefed To take in or reduce the area of a sail without furling it.
refit Repair or restore a vessel.
rigging All ropes, wires and chains used to support the masts and yards.
schooner A fore-and-aft rigged vessel, originally with two masts, but later with three or more. Designed for blockade running and as a fast naval vessel.
seine net A fishing net weighted so that it trawls along the seabed.
sextant A navigational instrument used to measure the angle of elevation of an object above the horizon.
Sheerness (dockyard) An important naval dockyard at Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, in the Thames Estuary.
sheet anchor Traditionally, the largest of a ship’s anchors, carried so that they can be dropped quickly in the event of an emergency.
ship-of-the-line A sailing warship built to fight in the line of battle – the traditional form of battle in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, where the ships formed a line so that they could fire broadsides at the enemy.
shroud The standing rigging on a ship that provides lateral support to the mast.
slatted A sail flopping backwards and forwards in near windless conditions.
sloop A single-masted sailing ship usually carrying a mainsail and a single jib or headsail.
slops Ready-made clothing from the ship’s stores that was sold to the seamen.
spanker A large fore-and-aft sail set from the mizzenmast using a gaff – a wooden spar that supports the top of the sail.
spars A general term relating to all the poles in a vessel’s rig, such as masts, yards, booms and gaffs.
Spithead A stretch of water at the eastern end of the Solent, located between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
spritsail A four-sided sail set from a sprit which usually extends beyond the end of the yards.
square-rigger A ship using square sails as its principal form of sail.
starboard The right-hand side of a vessel.
stay A large long rope that acts as a piece of standing rigging to support the mast either athwartships or fore-and-aft.
strake A line of planking on the side of a vessel.
taffrail The railing around a ship’s stern.
tar A nickname for a lower-deck sailor. Derived from their canvas coats and hats being waterproofed with tar.
tender A small vessel that attends a man-of-war, primarily in harbour. Usually used to carry munitions, provisions, mail and despatches to and from the ship.
timoneer An alternative term for the helmsman.
topgallant In a square-rigged ship, the spars and rigging at the very top of the masts, above the topsails.
trestletree Framing comprising two short strong parallel timbers fixed fore-and-aft on the opposite side of the lower masthead to support the topmast, or at the top of the topmast to support the topgallant mast.
uncleat To untie from a cleat – a T-shaped low-profile anchor point for securing lines.
waist In a nautical context, the middle part of a ship’s upper deck, between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.
warp A rope attached to a ship, used to move her from one place to another by men pulling on it when the ship is in harbour; hence, ‘warping’ means to move or reposition a ship by hauling on a line or anchor line.
weather helm A term for when a sailing vessel has a tendency to turn towards the direction of wind, an action that is countered by turning the helm.
windage The exposed part of a ship’s hull and rig that causes wind resistance.
windlass A horizontal and cylindrical barrel used as a lifting device for a rope or anchor cable. It was turned by rods called handspikes.
yard A slender wooden spar slung at its centre on the forward side of a mast on a square-rigged ship.
yardarm The outer end of each yard, from where, on a square-rigger, signal flags were flown and men sentenced to death following a court martial were hanged.
SOURCES
Lieutenant James Cook having been the focus for scores of authors and researchers for more than two centuries, it’s little wonder that the material relating to his life and exploits is both abundant and readily available. When it came to writing this book, however, the challenge was to source information that would allow me to bring new light to the legacy of the famous seafarer, and I am confident this has been achieved.
My intention was also to enlighten those readers who already had an interest in Cook’s exploits and in maritime history, especially that of Australia and New Zealand. In fact, the sources I used for my research provided a plethora of information about almost every aspect of the great man’s fifty years on earth (and water). Sadly, one thing is missing: details of his personal life, in particular his family life. As mentioned previously, the reason for this is that Elizabeth Cook chose to destroy every letter she and her husband had exchanged, because she believed they were too private to be shared with others.
I have deliberately not provided the finer detail regarding sources. It is safe to say that those sources given in the text and below will provide that information, should it be required by researchers or academics.
I must mention two publications in particular. The Life of Captain James Cook, written by acclaimed Cook biographer John Cawte Beaglehole, and first published by Stanford University Press in 1974, furnished me with invaluable, extensive material. In the quest for specifics on ships of the eighteenth century, and the lifestyle that those on board were forced to endure, I hardly needed to look further than Ray Parkin’s H.M. Bark Endeavour, published by The Miegunyah Press in 1997. This superb publication took Parkin twenty years to research and write – I have no d
oubt that there is no other to match it when it comes to specific detail, presented in words and magnificent fine-pen drawings. Parkin concentrated his research on Endeavour, but so much of it can be applied to other vessels of the era. H.M. Bark Endeavour is an enthralling read for anyone with salt in their veins.
Most importantly, it was the captain’s journals relating to his three voyages of discovery that laid the foundation for much of my book. Here, a single publication – James Cook, The Journals, published by Penguin Classics (2000) – served as the primary source for my research.
There were several other books that I found to be insightful and beneficial:
Resolution: Captain Cook’s Second Voyage of Discovery, written by Peter Aughton and published by Phoenix (2005);
Captain James Cook: A Biography, from the pen of Richard Hough and published by Coronet Books (1994);
Tony Horwitz’s witty and informative Blue Latitudes, published by Picador USA (2002);
The Life of Captain James Cook, the Circumnavigator by Arthur Kitson, published by John Murray (1912; first published 1907);
Andrew Kippis’ A Narrative of the Voyages around the World, Performed by Captain James Cook, published by Porter & Coates (1850; first published 1783); and
Ship: 5,000 Years of Maritime Adventure by Brian Lavery, published by Dorling Kindersley (2010).
In today’s world of instant communications, the internet makes life so much easier when researching a new book. Yet the amount of information that is available calls for greater scrutiny when it comes to gauging the accuracy of what instantly appears on one’s computer screen. Among the websites I accessed for information or confirmation were the following:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/28may_cook (The Transit of Venus – NASA Science – Science News)
http://gutenberg.net.au (The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks)
www.captaincooksociety.com (General research)
www.britishbattles.com/battle-of-quebec.htm (The Battle of Quebec)
www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_sevenyears.html (The Seven Years War)
www.hollandcollege.com/about_holland_college/why_holland.php (Surveyor, Samuel Holland)
www.antiquetelescopes.org/cook.html (Transit of Venus – Astronomical Instruments)
www.adsb.co.uk/date_and_time/calendar_reform 1752 (Calendar change in England 1752)
From his humble beginnings in Marton-in-Cleveland in North Yorkshire, James Cook went on to cover some 220,000 nautical miles during his life under sail, literally travelling to the ends of the Earth. Two-and-a-half centuries later, Google Earth and Google Images provided me with the opportunity to ‘visit’ anywhere in the world. In a matter of seconds, I could be transported from an idyllic situation on a tropical island to a bleak, barren, snow-covered coastline within the Arctic Circle. With each ‘trip’ I was able to appreciate much of what Cook saw and experienced when he was there. And it afforded me an opportunity to wonder yet again at his much-lauded navigational charts, the accuracy of which fails to diminish alongside advances such as satellite imagery, given the limitations of that long-gone era.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It takes a talented team and considerable dedication to get a highly detailed book such as this completed and onto the shelves in bookshops on schedule – and that was my experience in creating Cook.
It began with the enthusiastic support of Helen Littleton, Associate Publisher, ABC Books, a woman whose approach to publishing I much admire. It was Helen who first convinced me that I should dip my oar into writing maritime history, and advanced the idea of me penning this book, seen as a refreshing new look at the life of the remarkable seafarer and explorer, Captain James Cook. It would be the third book in a trilogy of maritime heroes, my two previous books having dealt with the lives of Captain William Bligh and the man to first circumnavigate Australia, Lieutenant Matthew Flinders. The link comes from the fact that Bligh sailed with Cook, and Flinders sailed with Bligh.
This project also saw me return to the fold at HarperCollins Publishers and, through that move, establish a very satisfying link with ABC Books.
Along with Helen on the publishing side, I want to recognise the people who contributed so ably and directly to this book from start to finish. Special mention must be made of the Senior Editor, Mary Rennie, as well as Linda Brainwood and Denise O’Dea.
There are two people outside that organisation who most certainly deserve meritorious mention: Paul Brunton, Emeritus Curator at the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, and Jon Gibbs, the editor. Paul did a superb job when cross-checking facts; and I can’t speak highly enough of the effort Jon put into the editing. It seemed the greater the pressure, the greater his effort.
My approach to writing is very much hands-on: once I have the storyline in place I prefer to do the vast majority of the research myself, rather than farm it out. Even so, I would have struggled to get this project completed on time were it not for the selfless dedication of my assistant, Liz Christmas. She has worked untiringly with me on each book in this trilogy, and for that I am infinitely thankful.
On a personal note, there was one person who stood steadfastly by me from the start to the finish – my partner, Prue. My having to spend weekends and nights writing only brought complete understanding from her. She was my support team.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the remarkable encouragement I have received in recent years from the all-important booksellers. Their enthusiasm and support for this book, and my previous publications, make my endeavours all the more worthwhile.
Rob Mundle
SEARCHABLE TERMS
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
A
Aborigines see indigenous Australians
Account of the New Wales Coast (Cook) 262–263
Adams, William 59, 61, 64–65
Admiralty
Banks, inclusion in Endeavour expedition 108–109
Cook, assigns to command second expedition 281
Cook, Colville’s report on 70–71
Cook, instructions for Endeavour expedition 3, 115–116, 117, 151, 154–155, 197, 198, 276
Cook, instructions for Resolution (1772–75)295–296
Cook, news of death sent to 430–431
Cook, response to Endeavour expedition 277–278
Cook, survey of Newfoundland 76–79, 87– 89, 95
Cook and removal of Resolution modifications 281
Cook names places after 205, 218, 224
Cook proposes Terra Australis Incognita expedition 280–281
Cook sends copy of Endeavour journal to 269–270
Cook visits after Resolution voyage 381
Dieppe maps 201
First Lord. see Sandwich, Lord
Hamar 29
Palliser 33, 35
St Lawrence River charts 60–61
transit of Venus expedition 102, 104. see also Endeavour, HMS
see also Royal Navy
Adventure, HMS
Cape Town 299–301
Cook Strait 334–335
crew health 299–300, 318, 323, 324
England, returns to 341
England, sets sail from 294–297
Huahine 330–331
naming of 281, 282–283
Omai (Tahitian) 383
refit 290
Resolution, becomes separated from 308–309, 334–335, 336
Ship Cove, reaches after Resolution leaves 339–340, 367
Ship Cove, repairs 340
Southern Ocean 301–302
Tahiti, anchors cut away 327
Tahiti, anchors salvaged 328
Tahiti, Matavai Bay 329–330
Tahiti, outer reef 325–327
watering 306
Wharehunga Bay massacre 340–341, 378
Adventure Bay 317–318, 399–400
air clarity 207
Aireyholme Farm 17, 23
Alaskan Peninsula 410, 412
Aleutian Islands 410, 412
Allen, John 426
alum mines 13
American War of Independence 279, 381
Amherst, General Jeffrey 50–51, 56, 63
Amundsen, Roald 434
Anaura Bay 172–173
Ancient History of the Maori, The (White) 178–180
Anderson, Robert 131–132
Anderson, William 394, 405, 411
Anne, Queen 51
Anson, George 124
Antarctic Circle 307, 342, 346
Antarctic continent 139, 307–308, 311, 346–347, 376–377
Antelope, HMS 77–82
Anticosti Island 76
Arapawa Island 191, 192
Arctic Circle 390, 411, 412–413, 430
Arctic Ocean 411
arrack 114
astronomy 100
Atlantic Ocean 40–42
Augusta, HMS 294
Aupouri Peninsula 186
Aurora Australis 311
Australia see New Holland Avacha Bay 430
Avachinsky volcano 432
Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland 68–69
Azores 379
B
bagpipes 330, 333
bandicoot 213
Banks, Sir Joseph
Botany Bay as site of penal colony 214–215
Break Sea Spit 223–224
Burnett (mistress) 298
Christmas Day 1768 136
Christmas Day 1769 184
Cook, news of death 431
Cook, nominates to Royal Society 388
Cook, relations with 109, 289–290
Cook Strait 191
Cook’s second expedition 284–287
crew deaths from dysentery 270
crew homesickness 265
dogs 108, 128, 244, 274
Dutch on Savu 267
dysentery in Batavia 271
Endeavour aground in New Holland 235, 236–237
Endeavour expedition, celebrity following 278, 284