航海傳奇

James Cook was described by his patron， Sir Hugh Palliser as “the ablest and most renowned navigator that this or any country has ever produced.”

Born in Marton， England， in 1728， the son of a humble farm labourer， Cook rose to become an internationally known naval captain and explorer—a considerable achievement in the 18th century.

James Cook in Whitby Captain Cook’s training as a seaman began in Whitby. He was born on October 27th， 1728， in Marton， Yorkshire. His father was a Scottish migrant farm worker who allowed James to apprentice on coal carrying boats at the age of 18.

By 1755， Cook was an experienced and trusted seaman and was offered the command of a ship. But he had other plans.

The Royal Navy and Canada

In June 1755， Cook left Whitby and volunteered as an ordinary seaman in the Royal Navy. The only explanation he gave was that： “I had a mind to try my fortune that way.” Cook signed on serving on the HMS Eagle for two years. Within a month he was promoted to master’s mate.

It was the beginning of the Seven Years’ War with France. He saw action in two sea fights. Significantly， he caught the eye of his captain， Hugh Palliser who gave him instruction in charting and navigation. After two years， he was promoted to the HMS Pembroke as master. He witnessed the effects of scurvy when crossing the Atlantic， and put his charting and navigational skills to good use in the St. Lawrence River， which helped in the capture of Quebec from the French.

In 1762， he married Elizabeth Batts. Cook was 13 years older than his wife. They spent only four months together before Cook went back to sea. This was to be the pattern for much of their married life.

The First Voyage （1768-1771）

Following the war， Cook’s skill at navigation and interest in astronomy made him the perfect candidate to lead an expedition planned by the Royal Society and Royal Navy to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus across the sun. Precise measurements of this event were needed worldwide in order to determine the distance between the earth and sun.

Cook set sail from England in August， 1768 on the Endeavor. His first stop was Rio de Janeiro， then the Endeavor proceeded west to Tahiti where camp was established and the transit of Venus was measured. After the stop in Tahiti， Cook had orders to explore and claim possessions for Britain. He charted New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.

From there he proceeded to the East Indies （Indonesia） and across the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. It was an easy voyage between Africa and home， arriving in July 1771.

The Second Voyage （1772-1775）

The Royal Navy promoted James Cook to captain following his return and had a new mission for him： to find “Terra Australis，” the unknown southern land. In the 18th century， it was believed that there was much more land south of the equator than had already been discovered. Cook’s first voyage did not disprove claims of a huge landmass near the South Pole between New Zealand and South America.

Two ships， the Resolution and the Adventure left in July 1772 and headed to Cape Town just in time for the southern summer. Captain Cook proceeded south from Africa and turned around after encountering large amounts of floating pack ice （he came within 75 miles of Antarctica）. He then sailed to New Zealand for the winter and in summer proceeded south again past the Antarctic Circle. By circumnavigating the southern waters around Antarctica， he determined that there was no habitable southern continent. During this voyage he also discovered several island chains in the Pacific Ocean.

After Cook arrived back in Britain in July 1775， he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and received their highest honor for his geographic exploration. Soon Cook’s skills would again be put to use.

The Third Voyage （1776-1779）

The Royal Navy wanted Cook to determine if there was a Northwest Passage， a mythical waterway which would allow sailing between Europe and Asia across the top of North America. Cook set out in July of 1776， rounded the southern tip of Africa， and headed east across the Indian Ocean. He passed between the north and south islands of New Zealand （through Cook Strait） and towards the coast of North America. He sailed along the coast of what would become Oregon， British Columbia， and Alaska and proceeded through the Bering Straight. His navigation of the Bering Sea was halted by the impassible Arctic ice.

Upon yet again discovering that something did not exist， he continued his voyage. His last stop was in February 1779 at the Sandwich Islands （Hawaii） where he was killed in a fight with islanders over the theft of a boat.

Cook’s explorations dramatically increased European knowledge of the world. As a ship captain and skilled cartographer， he filled in many gaps on world maps. His contributions to 18th century science helped propel further exploration and discovery for many generations.

詹姆士·庫克被其資助人休·帕利澤爵士形容為“這個國家或任何一個國家出現的最有才能和最有名的航海家”。

庫克在1728年出生于英國的馬頓鎮，父親是一名出身低微的農場工人。庫克后來成為國際知名的海軍船長和探險家——這在18世紀是相當大的成就。

詹姆斯·庫克在惠特比庫克船長的海員訓練始于惠特比。他于1728年10月27日生于約克郡的馬頓鎮。他的父親是蘇格蘭移民，也是一名農場工人。他準許詹姆斯在18歲時到運煤船上當學徒。

到了1755年，庫克已經很有經驗，備受信任，并被授予船只指揮權，但他還有其他打算。

軍旅生涯

1755年6月，庫克離開惠特比志愿參軍，加入英國皇家海軍當一名普通水手。他只給出了這個解釋：“我想在那里碰碰運氣。”庫克簽約為英國皇家海軍艦艇“鷹號”服役兩年。不到一個月，他已經被提拔為大副。

當時英法之間的七年戰爭剛剛開始。他親歷了兩場海戰。不過最重要的是，他引起了船長休·帕利澤的注意，后者在制圖和航海方面對庫克進行指點。兩年后，他晉升為英國皇家海軍艦艇“彭布魯克號”的船長。在穿越大西洋的時候他親眼目睹了壞血病的影響；他在圣勞倫斯河充分發揮了自己的制圖和航海技術，幫助（英國）從法國手上奪取魁北克。

1762年，他迎娶了比自己年輕13歲的伊麗莎白·巴茨。他們只在一起共度了四個月，庫克就要再次出海。這也成為隨后兩人婚姻生活的常態。

第一次航行（1768-1771年）

戰爭結束后，英國皇家學會和皇家海軍計劃派出一隊遠征隊到大溪地觀察金星凌日，庫克的航海技術及其對天文學的興趣使他成為帶領這次探險的最佳人選。……