Please allow me to introduce you to some one that you have probably never heard off.
As an Australian and a sailor, I grew up with Cook as the background figure in the charting and marine history there.
American's know of his end in Hawaii and (east coast) Canadians should know of his (night time) charting of the St Lawrence river and approaches to Quebec. The British wanted to land troops to take Quebec, but didn't have reliable charts or knowledge of traps and mines that had been laid. Cook and a crew in a long boat traveled and charted the river at night. This was the action that led the Admiralty to recognize his amazing charting abilities. Many of his hand drawn charts can still be used for reasonably safe navigation.
The other thing that Cook left was a group of incredibly able officers who sailed with him. Vancouver, Bligh, Clerke, Gore and the bloke I want to introduce. Mathew Flinders.
Known in Australia as the first to circumnavigate and chart many unknown parts of the continent in the HMS Investigator. Before that he led explorations and charting missions in the Tom Thumb and the Tom Thumb II with his cat Trim.
The Tom Thumb was 8 foot on the keel.
Read on it you find this interesting.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Flinders
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bass#The_voyages_of_the_Tom_Thumb_and_Tom_Thumb_II
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_(cat)
Gary
As an Australian and a sailor, I grew up with Cook as the background figure in the charting and marine history there.
American's know of his end in Hawaii and (east coast) Canadians should know of his (night time) charting of the St Lawrence river and approaches to Quebec. The British wanted to land troops to take Quebec, but didn't have reliable charts or knowledge of traps and mines that had been laid. Cook and a crew in a long boat traveled and charted the river at night. This was the action that led the Admiralty to recognize his amazing charting abilities. Many of his hand drawn charts can still be used for reasonably safe navigation.
The other thing that Cook left was a group of incredibly able officers who sailed with him. Vancouver, Bligh, Clerke, Gore and the bloke I want to introduce. Mathew Flinders.
Known in Australia as the first to circumnavigate and chart many unknown parts of the continent in the HMS Investigator. Before that he led explorations and charting missions in the Tom Thumb and the Tom Thumb II with his cat Trim.
The Tom Thumb was 8 foot on the keel.
Read on it you find this interesting.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Flinders
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bass#The_voyages_of_the_Tom_Thumb_and_Tom_Thumb_II
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_(cat)
Gary
