Life on the Ocean Waves
HM Bark Endeavour
A full-size replica of the ship used by Captain Cook on his historic round-the-world trip is permanently moored at Stockton.
HM Bark Endeavour, under the command of Captain James Cook, was home to 94 scientists and crew from 1768 to 1771 as they sailed on a voyage of discovery to New Zealand and Australia.
The Endeavour was built in Whitby but began life as a coal transport ship called the 'Earl of Pembroke'. It was especially refitted and renamed for Cook's voyage.
The voyage was sponsored by the Royal Society and its original purpose was to observe the planet Venus passing across the face of the Sun from Tahiti. Astronomers had been sent all over the world to observe this phenomenon in June 1769 - if careful measurements were taken from different locations the distance to the Sun could be calulated.
On leaving Tahiti, Cook revealed to the crew that he had secret orders to search for a 'Southern Continent' which it was believed must exist. By October 1769 they had sighted New Zealand and in Spring 1770 they landed in Botany Bay, Australia.
With a team of scientists on board - Joseph Banks (botanist), Daniel Carl Solander (naturalist), Charles Green (astronomer and mathematician) and Sydney Parkinson (natural history artist) - they were able to chart their journey, map the lands they visited and record the previously unknown animals and plants they encountered.
The ship moored in Stockton is one of 2 replicas of the Endeavour. It is made of metal rather than the original timber, and to improve visitor accessibility there is only one accomodation deck instead of two (the original head room was just 4ft 6"). The other replica is an exact copy.
Submitted by: Sarah McLusky, 06 November 2003
