Virtual Museum
Lyçée Louis Jouvet
HIS TRAVEL
His first journey (1968-1971):
In 1768, the Royal Society charge James Cook to explore the Pacifique south ocean with mains missions the observation of the transit of Vénus from 3 june 1769 and the research a hypothetical southern continent. after having spent the Horn cap, he landed at Tahiti the 13 april 1769, where he built a little fort and an observatory in anticipation of the transit of Venus. the observatory, directed by Charles Green, an assistant of the new royal astronomer Nevil Maskelyne, in order to collect some measurements allow to determine more precision the distance who separate Vénus of Sun.
The voyage was commissioned by King George III and commanded by Lieutenant James Cook, a junior naval officer with skills in cartography and mathematics. Departing from Plymouth-Dock (Devonport) in August 1768, the expedition crossed the Atlantic, rounded Cape Horn and reached Tahiti in time to observe the transit of Venus. Cook then set sail into the largely uncharted ocean to the south, stopping at the Pacific islands of Huahine, Borabora and Raiateato claim them for Great Britain, and unsuccessfully attempting to land at Rurutu. In September 1769, the expedition reached New Zealand, being the second Europeans to visit there, following its earlier discovery by Abel Tasman 127 years earlier. Cook and his crew spent the following six months charting the New Zealand coast, before resuming their voyage westward across open sea. In April 1770, they became the first Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall on the shore of what is now known as Botany Bay.
The expedition continued northward along the Australian coastline, narrowly avoiding shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef. In October 1770, the badly damagedEndeavour came into the port of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies, her crew sworn to secrecy about the lands they had discovered. They resumed their journey on 26 December, rounded the Cape of Good Hope on 13 March 1771, and reached the English port of Deal on 12 July. The voyage lasted almost three years.
The year following his return, Cook set out on a second voyage of the Pacific, which lasted from 1772 to 1775. His third and final voyage lasted from 1776 to 1779.
Second journey (1768-1771) :
It is charged by the Royal Society to go again in the South Seas in search of the southern continent . The expedition down very south , crossing the Antarctic Circle on January 17 , 1773. Cook also discovered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. After this second trip , Cook was promoted to the rank of captain.
Third journey (1768-1771) :
Ostensibly James Cook's third and final voyage was to return Omai, a young man from Raiatea to his homeland, but the Admiralty used this as a cover for their plan to send Cook on a voyage to discover the Northwest Passage. HMS Resolution, to be commanded by Cook, and HMS Discovery, commanded by Charles Clerke, were prepared for the voyage which started from Plymouth in 1776. The ships travelled to Cape Town by way of Tenerife then on to New Zealand.
Omai was returned to his homeland and the sheep sailed onwards, discovering the Hawaiian Archipelago, before reaching the Pacific coast of North America. The two charted the west coast of the continent and passed through the Bering Strait when they were stopped by ice from sailing either east or west. The vessels returned to the Pacific and called briefly at the Aleutians before retiring towards Hawaii for the winter. When they approached Hawaii they were met with an unexpectedly warm welcome which became tumultuous as they finally landed at Kealakekua Bay, on 'Hawaii Island' during the Makahiki, a Hawaiian harvest festival of worship for the Polynesian god Lono.
After a time during which Cook, and his crew were feted, the atmosphere changed and Cook moved away from the island to continue his quest of discovery. He soon suffered damage to his ship and had to turn back. On his return, conflict arose which resulted in Cook's death. Cook's remains were taken away by the Hawaiians but some were returned to be buried at sea by his crew. The command of the expedition was assumed by Charles Clerke who tried in vain to find the passage before his own death. Under the command of John Gore the crews returned to a subdued London in October 1780.
