Departure of Cook's Third Voyage
- When
- 1775–1776
- Where
- Plymouth, England
- Episodes
- 2
On 12 July 1776 Captain James Cook departed Plymouth, England, in HMS Resolution, beginning his third and final voyage, a British attempt to find the Northwest Passage, with the ostensible purpose of returning Omai to Raiatea.
Episodes
- Preparations for a new attempt
Following Cook's return in 1775, preparations for another voyage were already underway, with two ships fitted out for the expedition.
- Departure of HMS Resolution from Plymouth
On 12 July 1776 Cook sailed from Plymouth in HMS Resolution, beginning the third voyage, an attempt to discover the Northwest Passage.
Background and detail
Background. When Cook returned in 1775, preparations for another attempt were already underway. HMS Resolution, to be commanded by Cook, and HMS Discovery, commanded by Charles Clerke, were prepared for the voyage. Captain Clerke was instructed to join the Resolution at Plymouth, ready for the journey ahead.
Stated and Ostensible Purposes. The voyage was a British attempt to discover the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific coast of North America. Its ostensible purpose was to return Omai, a young man from Raiatea brought to England in 1774 by Tobias Furneaux, to his homeland, which the Admiralty used as cover for the Passage search.
Departure from Plymouth. Cook's third and final voyage began on 12 July 1776, when he sailed from Plymouth in HMS Resolution. The voyage would continue until 4 October 1780, though the departure itself involved only Cook's ship, with Clerke instructed to join the Resolution at Plymouth.
People involved
- James Cook · Captain of HMS Resolution, commander of the voyage
- Charles Clerke · Captain of HMS Discovery, instructed to join the Resolution at Plymouth
- Omai · Young man from Raiatea whose return was the voyage's ostensible purpose
- Tobias Furneaux · Brought Omai to England in 1774
Sources
- Third voyage of James Cook Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.