James Cook was
born in a cottage in Marton-in-Cleveland on 27th of
October 1728. While still a child, Cook moved with his
family to a farm near Great Ayton, nestled beneath the
majestic Roseberry Topping.
The land was owned by the benevolent Lord of the Manor,
Thomas Skottowe, who soon noticed the bright young
farmer's son, and arranged for him to go to the local
village school, where he quickly showed an aptitude for
mathematics. Cook spent his latter childhood years
laboring on his father's farm, before at the age of
sixteen he was apprenticed at a shop in Staithes, owned by
William Sanderson.
Nestling
beneath the cliff's ten miles from Whitby, Staithes was
at that time a thriving fishing town with a thousand
inhabitants. It was probably in this town, which lived
and breathed boats and the sea, that Cook first
conceived the idea of joining the navy. It was certainly
here that he learned the rudiments of Navigation.
Quickly discovering that a life behind a shop counter
was not for him, Cook told Sanderson that he wished to
go to sea. He was then introduced to John Walker, and
came to Whitby.
He found
there a busy sea port, full of industry and toil, where
all aspects of shipbuilding were practiced.The harbour
was forever awash with maritime traffic, and there was
always many a sail to view from the pier. Walker was a
Quaker and his family owned several ships, as well as a
house on Grape Lane where Cook is said to have slept,
and which now houses the Cook Museum. Cook soon began to
show his abilities as a seaman. His first service was
aboard the 'Freelove' a collier ferrying coal up and
down the coast. His natural feel for all things
sea-going was quickly spotted by Walker who enlisted him
to help fit out a new ship 'The Three Brothers' in 1747.
During
the winter when the colliers were kept ashore by the
weather, Cook helped to overhaul the boats and studied
navigation, nautical law and astronomy. Cook soon joined
the Royal Navy, and quickly rose to the rank of captain,
which gave him effective control over a ship, although
he was under nominal command of a Royal Navy Captain,
who would not even have been on board. The first ship on
which Cook was Master was the 'Sally', where he was
responsible for piloting, navigating and keeping the
ships log. He served as Master on a further three
vessels, the 'Solebay' the 'Pembroke' and the
'Northumberland', before being appointed Marine Surveyor
in Newfoundland.
|
|
Here Cook
sailed up and down the coast in the 'Sally', re-named 'Grenville',
making surveys. Cook's greatest feats were yet to come. In
1768 he sailed aboard the 'Endeavour' on his first voyage
of discovery. Cook's achievement was exceptional; the
'Endeavour' was no great ship built to sail the oceans,
but a collier, just 109 feet long. Cook, a Lieutenant at
the time, is unlikely to have been consulted on what type
of ship he would have liked, but the Whitby built boat, so
similar to those he had made his name in, suited him
perfectly. The supposed purpose for the voyage was to
observe the Transit of Venus, simply for astronomical
interest. |
 |
|
|
But the real
reason was to sail westwards and above all south, to
discover the secrets of the South Pacific. Sailing in
August 1768, Cook passed Cape Horn in January of the
following year. He then crossed the Pacific to New
Zealand and sailed down the east coast of Australia
before finding his way back to Cape Town and from there
along the coast of Africa and home to England in 1771.
Cook and the 'Endeavour' had taken on the Antarctic and
won. Many a bet was lost when they returned home safely
after three years at sea.
|
|
The ship
never returned to Whitby, although a replica ship
managed that feat in May 1997. Cook sailed again the
following year with two further Whitby ships, the
'Resolution' and the 'Adventure', returning in 1775.
|
