| Capt James Cook's HM Bark Endeavour is shown on this print in the south Pacific in 1769-1770. Endeavour departed Plymouth, England on August 28, 1768. The ship reached Tahiti on April 13, 1769 where her scientific crew made observations of the path of Venus. Upon departing Tahiti, Cook visited and named the Society Islands and pushed south in his quest for the "Great South Land." He sailed around New Zealand, surveying and charting its coast for the first time. He then headed west on April 1, 1770 and mapped the east coast of Australia. On June 11, 1770 Endeavour ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef; after 23 hours of intensive work and jettisoning heavy equipment, the ship was refloated. After beaching the ship to make repairs, Cook sailed to the Dutch East India colony of Batavia for more permanent repairs, then home to England. |
