Third voyage of James Cook facts for kids
James Cook's third and final voyage took place from 1776 to 1780. He sailed from Plymouth, visiting places like Cape Town, Tenerife, New Zealand, and the Hawaiian Islands. He also explored the North American coast up to the Bering Strait.
The main reason for this trip was to find the Northwest Passage. This was a famous sea route that people believed connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the top of North America. The British government also used the trip as a way to return Omai, a young man from Raiatea, to his home. Cook commanded HMS Resolution, and Charles Clerke commanded HMS Discovery. They both left Plymouth in 1776.
After Omai was safely back home, the ships continued their journey. They discovered the Hawaiian Islands before reaching the Pacific coast of North America. Cook and Clerke mapped the western coast of the continent. They sailed through the Bering Strait but were stopped by thick ice. The ships then returned to the Pacific, stopping briefly at the Aleutian Islands. They planned to spend the winter in Hawaii.
While at Kealakekua Bay, arguments started between the Europeans and the Hawaiians. This led to a fight on February 14, 1779, where Captain Cook was killed. After Cook's death, Charles Clerke took command. He tried again to find the Northwest Passage but also died. Finally, John Gore led the crews back to London in October 1780. They received a quiet welcome.
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Finding the Northwest Passage
The main goal of this voyage was to find the famous Northwest Passage. This was a sea route that explorers hoped would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The British Admiralty (the government department in charge of the navy) offered a huge prize of £20,000 to whoever found it. This prize was set by a law passed in 1745 and updated in 1775.
At first, the Admiralty wanted Charles Clerke to lead the trip. They thought Cook, who had retired after his earlier voyages, could be an advisor. But Cook had studied the expeditions of Vitus Bering. So, the Admiralty decided to trust the experienced explorer, Cook, to lead the journey. Clerke would go with him.
In 1773, a young man from Raiatea named Omai traveled to Europe. He came on a ship called Adventure, which had visited Tahiti during Cook's second voyage. Omai arrived in London in 1774 and became very popular. Many people in London were curious about him. The public believed that Cook's third voyage was mainly to take Omai back home to Tahiti. This was a good cover for the secret mission to find the Northwest Passage.
Ships and Crew
The Vessels and Supplies
For his final voyage, Captain Cook again commanded HMS Resolution. This ship started as a coal ship in 1770 and was bought by the Royal Navy in 1771. It was about 34 meters (111 feet) long and 10.6 meters (35 feet) wide. After returning from Cook's second voyage in 1775, it was prepared again for this new trip in 1776.
King George III sent many animals on the Resolution as gifts for the people of the South Sea Islands. These included sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens. Cook also made sure the ships had plenty of clothing for the crew. This included jackets, waistcoats, trousers, shirts, stockings, and shoes.
Captain Charles Clerke commanded HMS Discovery. This was a smaller ship, about 91 meters (299 feet) long. It was built in 1774 and bought by the Admiralty. It was originally a brig, but Cook had it changed into a full-rigged ship.
The Ships' Companies
On the Resolution, Cook's first officer was John Gore. He had sailed around the world with Cook before. James King was the second officer. The ship's master was William Bligh, who later became famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty. William Anderson was the ship's doctor and also studied plants. John Webber was the official artist, drawing what they saw. The crew included midshipmen, cooks, quartermasters, and marines.
The Discovery was led by Charles Clerke. He had been on Cook's first two voyages. His first officer was James Burney. Among the midshipmen was George Vancouver, who had also sailed with Cook before. The Discovery had a crew of 70 people.
Other important crew members included:
- William Bayly, who was an astronomer.
- John Ledyard, an American marine.
- David Nelson, who collected plants.
- Omai, who acted as an interpreter until he returned home.
- Henry Roberts, who helped create the maps for the voyage's official report.
The Journey
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Captain James Cook left Plymouth on July 12, 1776. Clerke, on the Discovery, left later on August 1. On their way to Cape Town, the Resolution stopped at Tenerife for supplies. When they reached Cape Town on October 17, Cook had the ship repaired because it was leaking badly. The Discovery arrived on November 10 and also needed repairs.
The two ships sailed together on December 1. They found and named the Prince Edward Islands on December 13. Twelve days later, they found the Kerguelen Islands, which Cook had missed on his second voyage. Strong winds pushed them to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) on January 26, 1777. There, they got water and wood and met the local Aboriginal people.
The ships then sailed to Queen Charlotte Sound in New Zealand, arriving on February 12. The Māori were worried because they thought Cook would seek revenge. This was because ten men from another ship had been killed there in 1773. After two weeks, the ships left for Tahiti. Strong winds pushed them west to Mangaia, which they saw on March 29. To get more supplies, they sailed to the Friendly Isles (now Tonga), stopping at Palmerston Island along the way. They stayed in the Friendly Isles from April 28 until mid-July, then set off for Tahiti, arriving on August 12.
After returning Omai to his home, Cook waited until December 7 to continue his journey north. On January 18, 1778, he became the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. He first landed at Waimea harbor on Kauai. Cook named the islands the "Sandwich Islands" after the Earl of Sandwich, who was an important navy official. They noticed that the people spoke a language similar to other Polynesian languages they had heard.
From Hawaii, Cook sailed northeast on February 2 to explore the west coast of North America. He landed on March 6 near Cape Foulweather in Oregon, which he named. Bad weather forced his ships south before they could explore northward. He sailed past the Strait of Juan de Fuca without knowing it. Soon after, he entered Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. He anchored near the First Nations village of Yuquot.
Cook's ships stayed in Nootka Sound for about a month, from March 29 to April 26, 1778. Relations between Cook's crew and the people of Yuquot were friendly, though sometimes tense. The people of Yuquot wanted more valuable items than the small trinkets the crew usually traded. Metal objects were highly desired. The most valuable items the British received were sea otter furs. The local people largely controlled the trade with the British ships.
After leaving Nootka Sound, Cook explored and mapped the coast all the way to the Bering Strait. He identified what is now known as Cook Inlet in Alaska. It is said that Cook mapped most of the North American northwest coastline for the first time. He also figured out how far Alaska stretched and filled in gaps in earlier Russian and Spanish maps.
By the second week of August 1778, Cook was through the Bering Strait, sailing into the Chukchi Sea. He went northeast along the coast of Alaska until sea ice blocked his path. Cook then sailed west to the Siberian coast. He could not pass a point he called Cape North, which is now Cape Schmidt. He then followed the Siberian coast southeast back to the Bering Strait. By early September 1778, he was back in the Bering Sea.
Cook then began the trip back to the Hawaiian Islands. He became more and more frustrated during this part of the voyage. Some people think he might have been suffering from a stomach illness. This could have made him act strangely towards his crew, like making them eat walrus meat, which they found impossible to eat. From the Bering Strait, the crews went south to Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands. Cook stopped there on October 2 to repair the ship's leaks again. During their three-week stay, they met Russian traders and learned about the local people. The ships left for the Hawaiian Islands on October 24, seeing Maui on November 26, 1778.
The two ships sailed around the Hawaiian Archipelago for about eight weeks. They were looking for a good place to anchor. They finally landed at Kealakekua Bay on 'Hawaii Island', the largest island, on January 17, 1779. As they sailed around the islands, many canoes full of gifts came alongside their ships. The people on the canoes came aboard without fear. A chief named Palea and a priest named Koa'a came aboard. They formally escorted Cook ashore, where he went through a long and unusual ceremony.
Cook's arrival happened at the same time as the Makahiki. This was a Hawaiian harvest festival to worship the god Lono. It was a coincidence that Cook's ship, the Resolution, especially its masts and sails, looked like important items used in the festival. Also, Cook's clockwise route around Hawaii Island before landing was similar to the processions during the Lono festivals. Some people believe these coincidences led some Hawaiians to think Cook was an incarnation of Lono. However, this idea has been debated.
Captain Cook's Death
After staying for a month, Cook prepared to continue exploring the Northern Pacific. However, soon after leaving Hawaii Island, the Resolution's front mast broke. The ships had to return to Kealakekua Bay for repairs. It is thought that the Hawaiians did not expect Cook's return, and perhaps did not welcome it. This was because the Lono festival season had just ended.
Tensions grew, and several arguments broke out between the Europeans and Hawaiians. On February 14, at Kealakekua Bay, some Hawaiians took one of Cook's small boats. Usually, when things were stolen on other islands, Cook would take hostages until the items were returned.
Cook tried to take the King of Hawaiʻi, Kalaniʻōpuʻu, as a hostage. But the Hawaiians stopped this when they saw Cook trying to trick the King onto his ship. They raised an alarm. King Kalaniʻōpuʻu realized Cook's true intentions and sat down. Before Cook could force the king to stand, hundreds of Hawaiians, some with weapons, appeared. They angrily chased Cook's men back to the beach. As Cook turned to help launch the boats, he was hit on the head and then killed as he fell into the water. Hawaiian tradition says a chief named Kalanimanokahoowaha killed him. The Hawaiians took his body away. Four marines were also killed, and two others were hurt in the fight.
Despite this, the Hawaiians respected Cook. His body was kept by their chiefs and elders. Following their customs, Cook's body went through special rituals, similar to those for important chiefs. His bones were carefully cleaned to be kept as religious items. Later, some of Cook's remains were returned to the British for a formal burial at sea, after the crew asked for them.
The Journey Home
Charles Clerke, who was very ill with tuberculosis, took over the expedition. He sailed north and landed on the Kamchatka Peninsula. There, Russians helped him with supplies and ship repairs. He made one last attempt to sail beyond the Bering Strait. But he died on his return at Petropavlovsk on August 22, 1779. From there, reports about the ships were sent overland and reached London five months later.
After Clerke's death, the Resolution and Discovery turned for home. John Gore, who had been on Cook's first voyage, was now in command of the expedition. James King commanded the other ship. After sailing down the coast of Japan, they reached Macau in China in early December. From there, they followed the East India trade route through the Sunda Strait to Cape Town.
Return to England
An Atlantic storm blew the expedition far north. They first landed at Stromness in Orkney. The Resolution and Discovery arrived off Sheerness on October 4, 1780. News of Cook's and Clerke's deaths had already reached London. So, their return home was a quiet one.
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See also
In Spanish: Tercer viaje de James Cook para niños
