航海传奇

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 Cooks 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 masters 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， Cooks 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. Cooks 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 Cooks 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.

Cooks 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·库克被其资助人休·帕利泽爵士形容为“这个国家或任何一个国家出现的最有才能和最有名的航海家”。

库克在1728年出生于英国的马顿镇，父亲是一名出身低微的农场工人。库克后来成为国际知名的海军船长和探险家——这在18世纪是相当大的成就。

詹姆斯·库克在惠特比库克船长的海员训练始于惠特比。他于1728年10月27日生于约克郡的马顿镇。他的父亲是苏格兰移民，也是一名农场工人。他准许詹姆斯在18岁时到运煤船上当学徒。

到了1755年，库克已经很有经验，备受信任，并被授予船只指挥权，但他还有其他打算。

军旅生涯

1755年6月，库克离开惠特比志愿参军，加入英国皇家海军当一名普通水手。他只给出了这个解释：“我想在那里碰碰运气。”库克签约为英国皇家海军舰艇“鹰号”服役两年。不到一个月，他已经被提拔为大副。

当时英法之间的七年战争刚刚开始。他亲历了两场海战。不过最重要的是，他引起了船长休·帕利泽的注意，后者在制图和航海方面对库克进行指点。两年后，他晋升为英国皇家海军舰艇“彭布鲁克号”的船长。在穿越大西洋的时候他亲眼目睹了坏血病的影响；他在圣劳伦斯河充分发挥了自己的制图和航海技术，帮助（英国）从法国手上夺取魁北克。

1762年，他迎娶了比自己年轻13岁的伊丽莎白·巴茨。他们只在一起共度了四个月，库克就要再次出海。这也成为随后两人婚姻生活的常态。

第一次航行（1768-1771年）

战争结束后，英国皇家学会和皇家海军计划派出一队远征队到大溪地观察金星凌日，库克的航海技术及其对天文学的兴趣使他成为带领这次探险的最佳人选。（皇家学会）需要得到这一天文现象在世界各地的精确测量数据，以便测量地球与太阳的距离。

1768年8月，库克乘坐“奋勇号”从英国起航。他的第一站是里约热内卢，随后“奋勇号”继续向西航行到达大溪地。他们在那里建立营地，并测量了金星凌日的数据。在大溪地停留之后，库克收到指令，要为英国考察当地情况并将此处收归英国所有。他绘制了新西兰和澳大利亚东岸的海岸线图。

他继续航行，到达东印度群岛（印度尼西亚），横跨印度洋到达非洲最南端的好望角。从非洲返回家乡的航程很顺利，他们在1771年7月抵达。

第二次航行（1772-1775年）

詹姆斯·库克回到英国后，皇家海军提拔他为船长，同时给了他一项新任务：寻找未知的“南方大陆”。在18世纪，人们认为赤道以南的陆地比当时已发现的要多得多。库克的第一次航行未能证明新西兰和南美洲之间的南极附近不存在一片巨大陆地。

“决心号”和“探险号”两艘船在1772年7月离开，向开普敦进发，这时刚好赶上南半球的夏天。库克船长从非洲向南航行，在遇到大量浮冰块后折返（他当时离南极洲不到75英里，约121千米）。他随后航行到新西兰过冬，在夏天再次向南航行，越过南极圈。在南极洲周围的南部水域绕行一圈后，他断定没有适合人居住的南方大陆。在这次航行中，他还发现了太平洋的一些列岛。

1775年7月回到英国后，库克被选为皇家学会会员，并因其地理勘探成就而获得学会的最高荣誉。不久之后， 库克的才能将再一次派上用场。

第三次航行（1776-1779年）

皇家海军希望库克确认西北航道是否存在——据说该航道可以让船只横越北美洲顶端，在亚欧之间航行。库克于1776年7月动身，绕过非洲南端，然后向东行穿越印度洋。他穿过新西兰北部和南部的岛屿（经由库克海峡），驶向北美洲海岸。他沿着今天的（美国） 俄勒冈州、（加拿大）不列颠哥伦比亚省及（美国）阿拉斯加的海岸线航行，并越过白令海峡。他在白令海的航行因无法穿越北极冰块而止步。

断定之前假设的西北航道并不存在后，他继续旅程。他的最后一站是桑威奇群岛（即夏威夷）。他于1779年2月来到这里，因为一起偷船事件与当地岛民发生冲突而被杀。

库克的探险大大拓宽了欧洲人对世界的认识。作为一名船长和经验丰富的绘图师，他为世界地图填补了很多空白。他对18世纪科学作出的贡献推动了后人对世界进行进一步探索和发现。