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khiemtranIt's 11 pm on the 11th of June, 1770, and we've just discovered one of the natural wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef that runs along the North-East coastline of Australia. Unfortunately, we've discovered it by running into it, and the ship is in serious peril.
Now is the moment when all the ship's resources will be tested like never before. The ship is completely stuck on the coral and the crew must work together if we are to survive. At first, we try using a kedging anchor to pull the Endeavour off the reef, but to no avail. We are stuck fast. Next, the commander orders six of the ten cannons to be thrown into the water; along with as much ballast and excess equipment as possible. Even the ship's drinking water is pumped out.
Some fifty tons of equipment has been jettisoned, and another attempt is made to refloat the ship on the next high tide. This fails as well. By now, there is water coming into the ship, and the pumps are manned constantly. Even Cook and Banks themselves take their turn. Our situation is even more critical now because if we do become free of the reef, the leak may get a lot worse and we are still many miles from shore.
We decide to make another attempt at the next high tide, this time rowing out two large anchors which we will use to try to pull the ship off the reef. A block and tackle is used to provide a mechanical advantage.
To the relief of all, this attempt succeeds, but now the Endeavour is leaking badly. She is still almost forty kilometres from shore, and there is no hope of rescue if she sinks. If the crew panics now, all is lost. Yet, everyone still works together. Even when a mistake in measuring the depth of the incoming water makes it seem as though the ship is doomed, the crew stay calm.
By now, everyone on board the ship is exhausted. Most people, including the commander, have probably been awake for over twenty-four hours. But now is the moment that requires the clearest thinking. In the end, it is the young midshipman, Jonathan Munkhouse, the same man who ordered his men to fire on the Tahitians, who suggests the solution - to "fother" the ship to stem the flow of water. Think about that for a moment. They needed a system where one of the most junior officers could make a suggestion and be listened to, and they had it.
"Fothering" involves pulling a sail filled with wool and other fibres around the hull over the leak. As the water flows in, it pulls the material with it, and gradually clogs the leak. The solution works long enough for the Endeavour to make it ashore, where it can be hauled up on the beach (remember how the former collier was chosen for its flat bottom).
The Endeavour ends up spending seven weeks, while repairs are made under the supervision of John Satterly, the Ship's Carpenter. There's no dry dock in sight, but the repairs will need to get the ship all the way to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. In that time, the crew of the Endeavour also make contact with the local Aboriginals and learn much of the new land; including the word for "kangaroo".
At last the ship is ready to sail, but we still have a big problem - how to escape the reef that lines the shore. Here, the commander is in his element, guiding his ship carefully between the reef and the shore, looking the chance to escape. After five days, he climbs a peak on Lizard Island and finally spots a way through. This will one day be named Cook's Passage.
Free of the reef, the Endeavour limps its way north, pausing off Cape York to claim possession of the land on behalf of the British Crown. By the time it reaches the Dutch colony at Batavia, it is in very bad shape: in some places her timbers have been cut through to mere millimetres. Yet miraculously, it has made it back to civilisation. The commander makes sure to confiscate all journals before making port, to ensure the wondrous discoveries remain a secret.
The voyage has been an epic one, but there is still one final sting in the tale. Batavia (which will one day revert to its old name of Jakarta) is rife with malaria and dysentery, and the crew soon begin sickening. Tupaia, the Polynesian navigator who guided them across the Pacific and saw with his own eyes lands that even he did not know, passes away along with several others before they even leave port.
On the next leg to Cape Town, all but ten of the crew fall sick, with tragic consequences. Robert Molyneux, the ship's master will die of dysentery. Zachary Hicks, the second-in-command and the first man to sight the east coast of Australia will die of tuberculosis. John Thompson, the one handed Scottish cook, will die as well; along with John Satterly, the Ship's carpenter, whose repairs help the ship to make it to Batavia. John Gathray, the Boatswain, dies. As does John Ravenhill, the sailmaker. Jonathan Munkhouse, the young midshipman who suggested fothering the ship, dies, as does his brother, William, the ship's surgeon. Charles Green, the ship's astronomer dies. John Reynolds and Sydney Parkinson, the last surviving artists from the scientific party, both die. Hermann Spöring, the Finnish naturalist and Joseph Banks' assistant also dies. By the time the ship reaches the Cape of Good Hope, almost a third of those who set off with the Endeavour from Plymouth have passed away. Even John Thurmand, the American sailor who found himself pressed into the service of King George in Madeira, will never make it home.
On the 10th of July, 1771, the Endeavour sights England once again, and the history making voyage will end at last two days later. The observations and sample that Banks and Solander will present will electrify the scientific world and the charts of James Cook will change the course of history. In just seventeen years, a great fleet will arrive at Botany Bay, in an unprecedented expedition. By then, the Gweagal children that Cook met there would have grown into adults and no doubt had children of their own. Cook by that time had already made two more voyages to the Pacific, dying on his third. And one day, the names of Cook, Banks and Solander would live on in a city by the shores of the bay.
Now is the moment when all the ship's resources will be tested like never before. The ship is completely stuck on the coral and the crew must work together if we are to survive. At first, we try using a kedging anchor to pull the Endeavour off the reef, but to no avail. We are stuck fast. Next, the commander orders six of the ten cannons to be thrown into the water; along with as much ballast and excess equipment as possible. Even the ship's drinking water is pumped out.
Some fifty tons of equipment has been jettisoned, and another attempt is made to refloat the ship on the next high tide. This fails as well. By now, there is water coming into the ship, and the pumps are manned constantly. Even Cook and Banks themselves take their turn. Our situation is even more critical now because if we do become free of the reef, the leak may get a lot worse and we are still many miles from shore.
We decide to make another attempt at the next high tide, this time rowing out two large anchors which we will use to try to pull the ship off the reef. A block and tackle is used to provide a mechanical advantage.
To the relief of all, this attempt succeeds, but now the Endeavour is leaking badly. She is still almost forty kilometres from shore, and there is no hope of rescue if she sinks. If the crew panics now, all is lost. Yet, everyone still works together. Even when a mistake in measuring the depth of the incoming water makes it seem as though the ship is doomed, the crew stay calm.
By now, everyone on board the ship is exhausted. Most people, including the commander, have probably been awake for over twenty-four hours. But now is the moment that requires the clearest thinking. In the end, it is the young midshipman, Jonathan Munkhouse, the same man who ordered his men to fire on the Tahitians, who suggests the solution - to "fother" the ship to stem the flow of water. Think about that for a moment. They needed a system where one of the most junior officers could make a suggestion and be listened to, and they had it.
"Fothering" involves pulling a sail filled with wool and other fibres around the hull over the leak. As the water flows in, it pulls the material with it, and gradually clogs the leak. The solution works long enough for the Endeavour to make it ashore, where it can be hauled up on the beach (remember how the former collier was chosen for its flat bottom).
The Endeavour ends up spending seven weeks, while repairs are made under the supervision of John Satterly, the Ship's Carpenter. There's no dry dock in sight, but the repairs will need to get the ship all the way to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. In that time, the crew of the Endeavour also make contact with the local Aboriginals and learn much of the new land; including the word for "kangaroo".
At last the ship is ready to sail, but we still have a big problem - how to escape the reef that lines the shore. Here, the commander is in his element, guiding his ship carefully between the reef and the shore, looking the chance to escape. After five days, he climbs a peak on Lizard Island and finally spots a way through. This will one day be named Cook's Passage.
Free of the reef, the Endeavour limps its way north, pausing off Cape York to claim possession of the land on behalf of the British Crown. By the time it reaches the Dutch colony at Batavia, it is in very bad shape: in some places her timbers have been cut through to mere millimetres. Yet miraculously, it has made it back to civilisation. The commander makes sure to confiscate all journals before making port, to ensure the wondrous discoveries remain a secret.
The voyage has been an epic one, but there is still one final sting in the tale. Batavia (which will one day revert to its old name of Jakarta) is rife with malaria and dysentery, and the crew soon begin sickening. Tupaia, the Polynesian navigator who guided them across the Pacific and saw with his own eyes lands that even he did not know, passes away along with several others before they even leave port.
On the next leg to Cape Town, all but ten of the crew fall sick, with tragic consequences. Robert Molyneux, the ship's master will die of dysentery. Zachary Hicks, the second-in-command and the first man to sight the east coast of Australia will die of tuberculosis. John Thompson, the one handed Scottish cook, will die as well; along with John Satterly, the Ship's carpenter, whose repairs help the ship to make it to Batavia. John Gathray, the Boatswain, dies. As does John Ravenhill, the sailmaker. Jonathan Munkhouse, the young midshipman who suggested fothering the ship, dies, as does his brother, William, the ship's surgeon. Charles Green, the ship's astronomer dies. John Reynolds and Sydney Parkinson, the last surviving artists from the scientific party, both die. Hermann Spöring, the Finnish naturalist and Joseph Banks' assistant also dies. By the time the ship reaches the Cape of Good Hope, almost a third of those who set off with the Endeavour from Plymouth have passed away. Even John Thurmand, the American sailor who found himself pressed into the service of King George in Madeira, will never make it home.
On the 10th of July, 1771, the Endeavour sights England once again, and the history making voyage will end at last two days later. The observations and sample that Banks and Solander will present will electrify the scientific world and the charts of James Cook will change the course of history. In just seventeen years, a great fleet will arrive at Botany Bay, in an unprecedented expedition. By then, the Gweagal children that Cook met there would have grown into adults and no doubt had children of their own. Cook by that time had already made two more voyages to the Pacific, dying on his third. And one day, the names of Cook, Banks and Solander would live on in a city by the shores of the bay.
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no subject
Date: 2013-09-12 11:57 am (UTC)You are an excellent storyteller. You introduced all these people, told things they did, showed how interesting their lives were, made each one stand out--and then, told how they died, one by one.
I FEEL VERY SAD HERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD AND AFTER SEVERAL CENTURIES FROM THE EVENTS DESCRIBED.
Also, I appreciate and have a feel for the Great Barrier Reef like I never have before.
Also--and I know I always feel a little bemused when people make these sorts of suggestions to me, but--this telling of the story is so good, accompanied by the photos, I wonder if it wouldn't be something to send to the maritime museum (or--what was the official name of the place where you toured the Endeavour? That place) and see if they want to print it up (and credit and possibly pay you). Because really, I think people would *love* this. I have to get my dad to read these entries in order.
And one final PS: I really like the explanation of fothering, and what you point out about the fact that it was John Munkhouse who made it, and that he was listened to. That's a very interesting note; also interesting is the fact that the same young man who made what I'd consider a bad decision (firing on the Tahitians) also made a good a good one.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-12 03:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 07:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 08:09 am (UTC)Yes, they would have been one of the great mysteries, a ship and crew to hunt down, all their research and discoveries delayed by years and years. I wonder what kind of repercussions that would have had on history and us today.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 09:31 pm (UTC)Anyway, your account (the way that it is written) reminded me of William Golding "To the Ends of the Earth". I mean this as a compliment - in case there is any doubt!
no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 09:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 09:57 pm (UTC)If not, I definitely recommend that you try at least the first one (I read them in the wrong order - 2,1,3 - as I didn't know it was a trilogy!); the story follows a young man on a sea voyage from Britain to Australia in the early 19thC and follows how the journey (and what occurs during it) changes him. It's very salty (of the sea) and a bit creepy - and well written.
So, I look forward to more writing here!