A visit to HMB Endeavour

Last week saw the end of us learning about James Cook's voyage on the Endeavour.  This included a visit to the Endeavour replica which is has been circumnavigating Australia.  She's a lovely vessel, and smaller than I'd expected.

Until you're actually on board, you don't realise how cramped it was for 91 men.  Add to that the extremes in weather conditions.  The kitchen would have made the lower decks unbearably hot as they neared the equator.  Then on the other extreme, there was little to keep them warm as they got closer to Antarctica (each man was only issued 1 hammock and 2 blankets).

The dining area was also their sleeping area, where hammocks would be set up once the dining tables were cleared away.

Cook was diligent about hygiene, and made sure every man would wipe down their eating area with vinegar after each meal.  Those kegs above each table is where the vinegar was kept.

To clean their hands, they'd used the frayed rope ends as serviettes.  No paper towelling available!  These frayed hemp strands were then used later for candle wicking.

Another interesting item in this photo above are the lamps.  They were made of tin, with a thin layer of horn to allow the light through.  Glass was far too fragile then.

The dining area here had the most headspace available below deck for the officers.  Most of the other areas required them to hunch over, or work sitting down.  In the above photo, you can get an idea of the ceiling height available in the Officer's Mess.

Of course, the 'Great Cabin' had plenty of head room.  Still, it was tricky trying to get a photo of the room to give you a good idea of what it looked like.  The photo below is taken from where I sat near the captain's table.  To the left of me is Captain Cook's sleeping quarters, and next to the gentleman in this photo is Joseph Banks' room. It's also where Banks' two greyhounds stayed.

A small booklet was available to us for information whilst doing the tour, and it's also available here online.  More information with a virtual tour can be found here.  Also of interest is this page, which shows the Endeavour's layout.  You can clearly see where the extra floor was added to provide more space for the extra men, but at the sacrifice of headspace.

We've been reading a lovely 'living book' about the Endeavour, which has been a wonderful way of learning how the men lived at sea on board this ship, with Jackie French's The Goat Who Sailed The World.  This famous goat had already lived through one sea voyage, being kept for her fresh milk.  It's written through the eyes of Jacob Manley, a 12 year old farm boy who sets out on his very first sea voyage.

I hope that has given you a bit of an idea of what the ship was like.  Of course, the photos really are a poor substitute for the real thing.

Thank you for dropping by!