James Cook was appointed to command a ship called Endeavour, which left Plymouth on 26 August, 1768. Information about her and the men who sailed in her can be found below, with links to information found elsewhere on our website
Ship Endeavour was built in Whitby, and originally named Earl of Pembroke. More information about her can be found in an article about Endeavour.
Main events during this period A list of what Cook was up to preparing for this voyage and during the voyage can be found in Paul Capper's list of First Voyage dates. In each issue of Cook's Log an article appears saying what was happening to Captain Cook 250 years earlier.
A a year’s worth of entries extracts from the journals of James Cook and Joseph Banks from 250 years ago are available to be read on our Daily Activities pages
Crew A total of 95 persons sailed in Endeavour, 94 leaving England and one seaman being impressed at Madeira. Replacements for lost crew members were obtained at various ports later in the voyage. Fifty-six of the original 94 reached home 2 years and 11 months later.
They are listed below with links to information about them. Note: A.B. is short for Able Bodied seaman
Name
Position (s)
Biographical details
Transcript of Will
Family Tree
Marines In addition to the ship's crew, Endeavour also carried a number of soldiers from the Marine Service. Their presence helped Captain Cook to maintain order on board. They also provided the Captain with protection whenever he went ashore.
Position
Mr. Banks' Party Also on board were a number of scientists who took various measurements during the course of the voyage, and collected natural history specimens from the lands which were visited.
Vanessa, voyage records of the marines are very sparse. But I believe that some early Royal Marines archives still exist. They may contain the information that you seek. Let me make a few enquiries and I will get back to you.
Hello, I see a John Truslove sailed with Endeavourm1 and died at sea. I would like to see if he was an ancestor of mine. Do you know if there is any further information about him, I.e. d.o.b.?Thank you and best wishesVanessa
I am researching the life of Nicholas Young....before he was invited onto Endeavour at either Tahiti or did he get on board in England? The muster roll suggests he was not on board in Aug 1768 but he was in Tahiti in 1769 before Endeavour arrived in NZ. Looking for information as to what happened to Nicholas Young after he did the voyage with Joseph Banks to Iceland. Did Joseph Banks publish his journal after returning from Iceland???? What became of Nicholas Young??? Is there a family tree connecting Nicholas to living descendants today?? Any information on Nicholas Young would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Victoria, John Ramsey was one of the handful of crew who sailed with Cook on all three voyages of exploration. Cook's third voyage took the Resolution along the coast of Oregon in March 1778. But the coast offered no sheltered bays, so Cook did not come to anchor and go ashore as the weather was too rough. The closest he anchored to the Oregon coast was at Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The ships' musters do not record physical characteristics of the crew, and there is no record of him deserting ship.
I'm curious about the crew member John Ramsey (Ramsay or Rainsey). Is there any physical description of him in the logs? He may have been my ancestor. I'm looking for a British sailor who either deserted or shipwrecked on the coast of Oregon around 1770 to 1790. There is no record of a shipwreck in that time frame and one of the few ships in the area was Captain Cook's. He married into the native tribe there and produced a redheaded half native son named Jack Ramsay who was around 20-30 years old in 1805 when Lewis and Clark arrived. The story goes that the elder Ramsay was a redhead who died around 1790 to 1800 in a small pox epidemic. Could the sailor John Ramsay be my ancestor? Is there any record of desertion (perhaps on the last voyage from Hawaii to the pacific coast after captain cook died)? Is there any description of him as a redhead? Any information you can provide will be highly appreciated!
Jeffrey, I think that your memory may be mixing up two different events. Captain Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770 in command of his ship Endeavour. Yes, one of the marines on board was called Webb, Clement Webb. But I think that you are confusing the arrival of the Endeavour with those 11 ships which arrived in 1788, and are called the First Fleet. I do not know if there was a member of the crew of those 11 ships called Webb.
My Ancestor was Webb on Endeavour. I Remember Seeing His Name as Able Seaman on The Sydney Harbour Bridge CAPTAIN COOK ENDEAVOUR FIRST FLEET PLAQUE.I Just Found the Ships Crew Details.
Congratulations for the 250th anniversary
Judith, the above tables include all of the men who sailed around the world on Endeavour. Some of the 19 who joined Endeavour at Batavia have been listed, as they provided a significant contribution to the voyage home. None of the 10 who joined the ship at Cape of Good Hope have been included. Please let me know if you feel that there are other names that merit inclusion.
Not all members of the crew are listed. Am I correct?All the best, Judith
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