Page 44 - French Polynesia

fter 18 months, not proving suitable War. Despite the need to start back at the to make his famous stealth attack on the
bottom of the naval hierarchy, Cook real- Plains of Abraham.
A for shop work, Cook travelled to the
nearby port town of Whitby to be intro- ized his career would advance more quickly
duced to friends of Sanderson’s, John and in military service. C ook’s surveying ability was put to
Henry Walker. The Walkers were prominent good use mapping the jagged coast of
local ship-owners. Their house is now the C ook’s first posting was with HMS Eagle, Newfoundland in the 1760s, aboard HMS
Captain Cook Memorial Museum. Cook was sailing with the rank of master’s mate. Grenville. His five seasons in Newfoundland

taken on as a merchant navy apprentice in In October and November 1755 he took produced the first large-scale and accurate

their small fleet of vessels. As part of his part in Eagle’s capture of one French war- maps of the island’s coasts and were the

apprenticeship, Cook applied himself to the ship and the sinking of another, following first scientific, large scale, hydrographic

study of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, which he was promoted to boatswain. His surveys to use precise triangulation to

navigation and astronomy—all skills he first temporary command was in March establish land outlines. They also gave

would need one day to command his own 1756 when he was briefly the master of Cook his mastery of practical surveying,

ship. the Cruizer, a small cutter attached to the achieved under often adverse conditions,

H is three-year apprenticeship com- Eagle while on patrol. During the Seven and brought him to the attention of the
pleted, Cook began working on trading Years’ War, Cook served in North America as Admiralty and Royal Society at a crucial mo-
master of Pembroke. In 1758 he took part in ment both in his career and in the direction

ships in the Baltic Sea. After passing his the major amphibious assault that captured of British overseas discovery. Cook’s map

examinations in 1752, he soon progressed the Fortress of Louisbourg from the French, would be used into the 20th century—cop-

through the merchant navy ranks, starting after which he participated in the siege ies of it being referenced by those sailing

with his promotion in that year to mate of Quebec City and then the Battle of the Newfoundland’s waters for 200 years. Fol-

aboard the collier brig Friendship. In 1755, Plains of Abraham in 1759. He showed a lowing on from his exertions in Newfound-

within a month of being offered command talent for surveying and cartography, and land, it was at this time that Cook wrote

of this vessel, he volunteered for service in was responsible for mapping much of the that he intended to go not only “farther

the Royal Navy, when Britain was re-arming entrance to the Saint Lawrence River dur- than any man has been before me, but as

for what was to become the Seven Years’ ing the siege, thus allowing General Wolfe far as I think it is possible for a man to go.”