Overview

Life in the Royal Navy (1755-1767)

1755

Jun. 7 Tue. Volunteered for the Royal Navy at Wapping.

1756

Jan. 22 Thu. Promoted to Boatswain at £4 per month.
Feb.     In hospital.
Mar. 13 Sat. Sails in H.M.S. Eagle for Cape Barfleur, Cherbourg Peninsula.
  19 Fri. Arrives Cherbourg and off Brittany Coast.
Apr. 4 Sun. Joins British Squadron of 3 ships and 2 cutters.
  5 Mon. Takes command of cutter.
  6 Tue. Off Morlaix.
  6 Thu. Off Tragoz Rocks.
  21 Wed. Boards H.M.S. Falmouth to return to Plymouth.
  27 Tue. Transfers to H.M.S. St. Albans.
  30 Fri. Sails for Ushant.
May 3 Mon. Rejoins H.M.S. Eagle.
  20 Thu. In Bay of Biscay. Eagle takes two prize ships. Takes command of one - the Triton - to return to Plymouth.
      In Plymouth with the Triton.
Jun.     Takes the Triton to London.
Jul. 1 Thu. Rejoins H.M.S. Eagle at Plymouth - refitting.
Aug. 4 Wed. Sails from Plymouth. Convoy work in the Channel and off Ushant.
Nov.   Thu. Returns to Plymouth.
Dec. 29 Wed. Sails from Plymouth.

1757

Jan. 4 Tue. Off Isle of Wight. In storm. Returns to Spithead and then Plymouth.
  30 Sun. Sails from Plymouth to Bay of Biscay.
Apr. l5 Fri. Returns to Plymouth.
May 25 Wed. Sails from Plymouth.
  30 Mon. In action S.W. of Ushant. In company with H.M.S. Medway engages French East Indiaman Duc d’Aquitaine, which is dismasted and towed to Plymouth
Jun. 29 Wed. At Trinity House, Deptford. Passes examination and qualifies as Master.
  30 Thu. Discharged from H.M.S. Eagle and becomes Master of frigate, H.M.S. Solebay (Captain Robert Craig).
Jul.     Probably at home in Yorkshire.
  30 Sat. Joins H.M.S. Solebay at Leith, Firth of Forth.
Aug. 2 Tue. Sails from Leith to Stoneham, Buchan Ness, Copinsay (Orkneys), Fair Isle and Lerwick.
  9 Tue. At Lerwick.
  19 Fri. At Stromness.
  end   Returns to Leith.
Sep. ?7 Wed. Discharged from H.M.S. Solebay.
Oct. 18 Tue. Appointed master of Ship of the Line, H.M.S. Pembroke (Captain James Simcoe).
  27 Thu. Joins H.M.S. Pembroke at Portsmouth.
Dec. 8 Thu. Sails from Portsmouth into Bay of Biscay and Cape Finisterre.

1758

Feb. 9 Thu. Returns to Portsmouth.
  22 Wed. Sails from Plymouth with Fleet under Admiral Boscawen for North America, calls at Tenerife, Bermuda.
May 9 Tue. Arrives Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Jun. 7 Wed. Sails for Louisburg, Cape Breton Island.
  12 Mon. Arrives Louisburg.
      Out at sea because of storms.
Jul. 26 Wed. Louisburg surrenders.
  27 Thu. Lands at Kennington Cove. Meets Samuel Holland, engineer with General Wolfe.
  28 Fri. Receives instruction from Holland on surveying.
Aug. 3 Thu. At Louisburg.
  28 Mon. Sails from Louisburg for the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Gaspé.
Sep.     Surveys Gaspé Harbour.
Oct. 2 Mon. Returns to Louisburg.
Nov. 14 Tue. Sails for Halifax.
  19 Sun. Arrives at Halifax for the winter.

1759

Jan.     Works with Holland on charts of the St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and sailing directions for the Cape Breton area.
May 5 Sat. Sails from Halifax for Quebec.
  7 Mon. Encounters sea-ice for the first time.
  16 Wed. Assists with burial of Captain Simcoe at Anticosti Island. Captain John Wheelock succeeds to HMS Pembroke.
  19 Sat. In the St. Lawrence Estuary.
  20 Sun. Arrives Barnaby Island.
Jun. 5 Fri. Arrives at The Traverse (Ile d’Orleans), near Quebec.
  25 Mon. Navigates through The Traverse.
  27 Wed. In the Quebec Basin.
Jul. 7 Sat. Anchors at Port Lewis for blockade of Quebec.
  18 Wed. Up river - sounding channels.
Sep. 11 Tue. Laying buoys in channel at Beauport.
  18 Tue. Quebec surrenders. May have landed in ship’s boat. Appointed Master of HMS Northumberland (Captain Lord Colville).
  23 Sun. Takes up appointment on HMS Northumberland.
Oct. end   At Halifax for the winter. Commences surveying Halifax Harbour.

1760

Apr. 22 Tue. Sails for Quebec.
  24 Thu. Stuck in ice.
May 12 Mon. In ice-field.
  18 Sun. Arrives at Quebec.
Summer     Support for military operations in Quebec, Montreal, Ontario area.
Sep. 7 Sun. Canada surrenders.
Oct. 10 Fri. Sails from Quebec.
  25 Sat. Arrives at Halifax. HMS Northumberland remains here until August 1762.

1761

HMS Northumberland careened and overhauled. Cook pursues his appointment as Master of the ship, and probably did some surveying.

1762

Aug. 10 Tue. Sails for Placentia, Newfoundland.
      Arrives Placentia and sails for St. John’s
Sep.     Off Bay Bulls - charting.
  13 Mon. Helps transports to land troops north of St. John’s.
  19 Sun. Arrives at St. John’s. Makes soundings, and surveys Harbour Grace and Carbonear.
Oct. 7 Thu. Sails from St. John’s for England.
  26 Tue. Arrives at Spithead. Cook at work on ship.
Dec. 3 Fri. The Seven Years War ends,
  5 Wed. Paid off. Cook quickly presents to the Lords of The Admiralty his draughts and observations made during the war in N. America.
  21 Tue. Marries Elizabeth Batts, aged 21, at St. Mary’s Parish Church, Barking, Essex.

1763

Jan. - Mar.     In lodgings at Shadwell. Visits the Tower of London to consult with the Ordnance Office, and purchases surveying instruments to the value of £68 11s. 8d.
Apr. 19 Tue. Appointed Surveyor in Newfoundland at 10s.0d. per day.
May 4 Wed. Joins HMS Antelope, as Supernumary, in Plymouth Sound.
  15 Sun. Sails for Newfoundland.
Jun. 11 Sat. Arrives Cape Race and Trepassey Harbour.
  13 Mon. Joins HMS Tweed to survey St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands.
Jul. 3 Sun. Completes survey of St. Pierre and moves to Langley and Miquelon Isles.
  12 Tue. Completes Langley (Petite Miquelon) Island and moves to Grand Miquelon.
  25 Mon. Completes Dunne Harbour (now Grand Barachois).
  31 Sun. Completes Miquelon. The Islands now handed over to the French.
Aug.     Aboard HMS Tweed to Ferryland and St. John’s. Joins HMS Grenville and sails for North Newfoundland. Surveys Quirpon, Noddy Harbour and York Harbour (Labrador Coast).
Sep. end   Returns to St. John’s and sails from there in HMS Tweed for home.
Nov. 29 Tue. Arrives Spithead. Sees son, James, born 13th. October, and buys house; No.7, Assembly Row, Stepney: later 88, Mile End Road.
 

1764

Mar.     Corresponds with Hugh Palliser about maps, fishing rights and territorial limits of Newfoundland.
Apr. 18 Wed. Appointed master of HMS Grenville at £4 per month.
May 7 Mon. Sails in HMS Lark from Portsmouth.
Jul. 14 Thu. Joins HMS Grenville at St. John’s.
  4 Wed. Leaves St. John’s.
  5 Thu. Arrives Carouge Harbour.
  14 Sat. At Sacred Bay and Onion Cape (Cap d’Ognon).
  21 Sat. At Pistolet Bat.
Aug. 2 Thu. Off Cape Norman.
  3 Fri. Goes ashore.
  6 Mon. At Noddy Harbour. Exploding powder horn injures right hand.
Sep. 14 Fri. At St. Genevieve Bay.
  28 Fri. At St. Margaret Bay, Point Ferrol. Small boat damaged.
Oct. 1 Mon. Sails along N. and E. coast to St. John’s.
  14 Sun. Arrives St. John’s.
Nov. 1 Thu. Sails from St. John’s for winter at home.
Dec. 4 Tue. Arrives Cutwater, Plymouth.
  12 Wed. At Woolwich. HMS Grenville to be overhauled at Deptford.
  14 Fri. At home. Second son, Nathaniel, is born same day.
 

1765

Apr. 28 Sun. Sails in HMS Grenville from the Downs for Newfoundland.
Jun. 2 Sun. Arrives Great St. Lawrence Harbour, Placentia Bay.
  12 Wed. Into Fortune Bay, Bay of Despair, Lawn Bay, Lamaline Islands and Harbour Breton.
Jul. 14 Fri. At Great Garnish.
  21 Fri. Grenville’s brig runs ashore.
Sep. 25 Wed. At Ship Cove, overhauls ship.
Oct. 10 Thu. Sails from Ship Cove for St. John’s.
  20 Sun. Arrives St. John’s.
Nov. 5 Tue. Sails from St. John’s for England.
Dec. 17 Sun. Arrives Deptford.
 

1766

      Prepares charts and sailing directions for Labrador and Newfoundland for publication. Corresponds with Admiralty about next survey and requirements for it.
Apr. 20 Sun. Sails from Deptford in HMS Grenville for Newfoundland.
May 29 Thu. Off Cape Race.
Jun. 1 Sun. At Bonne Bay.
  7 Sat. At Facheux Bay.
  17 Tue. Off Cape La Hune, Penguin Islands.
  27 Fri. In Cape Cove.
Jul.     At Fox Island, Cape Cove and Ramea Islands.
  17 Thu.  
  to   White Bay.
  22 Tue.  
  23 Wed. Grandy’s Cove, Burgec Islands.
Aug. 5 Tue. Observes eclipse of Sun on Eclipse Island, Burgeo Islands.
      In Connoire Bay.
  6 Sat.  
  to   Tweed’s Harbour (Cinq Cerf Bay).
  28 Tue.  
Sep. 10 Wed.  
  to   Port Aux Basques, Cape Ray, Codroy Road, Cape Anguille.
  23 Tue.  
Oct. 20 Mon. La Poile Bay; sails for St. John’s.
Oct. 27 Mon. Arrives St. John’s. (Joseph Banks was here at this time).
Nov. 4 Tue. Sails for England.
  23 Sun. Off Beachy Head.

1767

      Prepares charts and observations on eclipse for publication. Corresponds with Admiralty about astronomical instruments.
Apr. 1 Wed. Sails in HMS Grenville for Newfoundland.
  5 Sun. Involved in collision.
  10 Fri. Leaves Woolwich.
May 9 Sat. Off Cape Race.
  15 Fri. In Codroy Road.
      Surveys in St. George’s Bay (meets Mickmak Indians), Cape St. George, Red Island, Port au Port.
Jun. 5 Fri. At East Bay.
  15 Mon. At Fox Island.
  29 Mon. In Bay of (Three) Islands. (He called them Pearl, Tweed and Guernsey).
Jul. 7 Tue. At Bonne Bay.
  24 Fri. At Ingornachoix Bay, at Old Port au Choix.
Aug. 25 Tue. At Twin Islands.
  31 Mon. York Harbour, in Bay of Islands.
Sep. 24 Thu. Leaves Bay of Islands.
Oct. 14 Wed. Arrives St. John’s.
  23 Fri. Leaves St. John’s.
Nov. 8 Sun. Off Isle of Wight.
  9 Mon. At Deal.
  10 Tue. Off The Nore. (Runs aground).
  11 Wed. Floats off and anchors off Sheerness.
  15 Sun. Arrives at Deptford. Goes home and works on charts and sailing directions during the winter of 1767-1768.

 

Leave a comment

your email address will not be published

Thank you for your response. It will be evaluated by a moderator and published.
Previous Comments:
Olaf Janzen
When Cook first visited the Bay of Islands on Newfoundland's West Coast in June 1767, the three largest islands had *already* been named Pearl, Tweed, and Guernsey. This had been done in the summer of 1764 when Hugh Palliser (then serving as Commodore and civil governor of Newfoundland) visited that part of his jurisdiction in his flagship "Guernsey", together with other ships of his squadron ("Pearl" and "Tweed"; "Zephyr joined a few days later). "Guernsey's" master, Joseph Gilbert, prepared charts of the bay, and it was at this point that the three largest islands were named after Palliser's three principal ships. These charts are nowhere close to being as meticulous and accurate as Cook's 1767 work, but they were typical of the charts which were customarily drawn by sailing masters when visiting new places that were unfamiliar to them.
  back
  back to list