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The Third and Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
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DEANO: Aloha, I'm Ranger Dean and welcome to the podcast today. He's been respected and ridiculed, loved and loathed, revered and reviled. Yet, nearly 250 years after his death, he still evokes emotions in the hearts of many. I'm talking about the enigma that was Captain James Cook. The British explorer made three historic voyages that would forever change our perceptions of the planet. There is no doubt about his skills in seamanship, navigation and cartography or mapmaking, but it was his third and final voyage that would forever link his legacy to the islands of Hawaii. My guest today is well known local historian and tour guide Rob Kitsell. His well-researched programs attract a wide range of people seeking a deeper connection to our local landmarks, including Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, and even the famous Saint Benedict's Painted Catholic Church of Hōnaunau. Welcome to our podcast studio Rob! It is so good to see you. I know you're a busy man so thanks for taking the time to talk with us. ROB: Well, thanks for inviting me, Dean, delighted to be here, and chat about Captain Cook, which we get a lot of questions on our tours. And there's a lot of interest in there. Australians seem to be particularly passionate about Captain Cook with their close connections with him. It's easy to criticize people when we look at the breadth of history and judging things by today's standards. DEANO: Okay, so I remember first meeting you several years ago, you were bringing people into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and I was struck by your depth of knowledge and the attention to detail as you've just shared, so I just wanted a little background on you. What brings an Englishman to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to help share these Hawaiian stories? ROB: Well, when I was a developer in Georgia Dean, I used to come over here in the winter and fell in love with the place immediately. To top all that in 2007, I met Jody here in Kona and which is my wife now, the rest is history. I decided that I would do private tours which really took off and now with the way things are, private tours really are, are the way to go. DEANO: Yeah, I know you get to spend time in some of these stories that maybe as rangers we don't always get that opportunity. We have very short contact with the public sometimes. So, before we get into details about Captain James Cook's third and final voyage, in the introduction, I mentioned that Cook made three historic voyages from England. And that first one started in August of 1768 on the HM Bark Endeavour, and I read he had a crew of nearly 100. What was he looking for on that first voyage? ROB: Well, he was looking for a couple of things, but the official cover provided to him by the Royal Navy, was he was going to look for the transit of Venus as it was in the southern hemisphere. What they managed to do is they got a team up of astronomers where they had to get to Tahiti, and it was Cook's mission to get them there. He also had some other interesting people who went with him, a botanist called Joseph Banks, who he became very, very close friends with so they achieved the mission to see Venus cover the sun. And the importance for this was, the British believed that they could calculate the distance the earth was from the sun, if they could use Venus as a datum point. That was their reason for doing it. And they got there in time, set up all the equipment and that part of the mission was a big success. And then they had, you know, Banks there with a few other botanists who got an amazing amount of sample on this trip that he did with Cook. And of course, then they were also looking for what they believed; and it was theory at the time, but they were looking for Terra Australis, and they believed the balance of the Earth would be upset if there wasn't a corresponding land mass that was like in the Northern Hemisphere. There wasn't a corresponding mass in the southern hemisphere. So that was the theory and they would like Cook to go and find it. DEANO: Yeah, I understand that he actually sailed all the way to the 40th parallel but finding no continent he turned west and then ended up circling and mapping New Zealand as two separate islands. I read on June 11, this would be 1770 of the first voyage, he slams into the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and he nearly loses the ship. How did they manage to save it? ROB: That's an interesting one there and I don't think they realized the enormity of the barrier reef and also, what happened with it was they were bailing the ship constantly, even the officers trying to save it. Cook then immediately had to take some drastic measures because he felt like that bailing the ship was not working. They ended up throwing some of the cannons overboard, but they jettisoned the cannons because they were trying to lose weight. They also threw lots of other things overboard. Then somebody else mentioned to Cook where the hole was pierced, they would put an old sail over it; they wedge this sail in and made it tighter. Now, this is where Cook was very fortunate in his choice of vessel which is known as a Whitby Cat. And it's called that because the vessel was made in Whitby very close to where Captain Cook was born. So, these Whitby Cats were flat bottomed and wide. Now the interesting thing about that was unlike a regular ship, if you run it up on a beach, it would roll over sideways. With these cats being flat bottom, after they'd managed to facilitate somewhat of a repair, they were able then to land it on a beach and made more concrete repairs because they were still a very long way from home. DEAN: And then, even with this, because even after this near catastrophe, Cook agrees to captain a second voyage, and this time he searches even further for this mysterious, Great Southern continent. What happens on the second voyage? ROB: They decided that they would get a little bit safer on the second book voyage, and they would have two ships, as opposed to just one ship. The idea being, if one ran aground like he did with the Endeavor, the other ship would be able to rescue with his, with the second expedition, they wanted to go further. And they felt like they could find this Great Southern continent, he had some criticism going on from various people. Alexander Dalrymple, really an arch nemesis of Cook, this man had been denied going on the mission with Cook. He thought the Royal Navy should allow him to go and try and find the Great Southern continent because it was like one of his big theory. When they put Cook in command, it made him very upset. So, after the first mission, Dalrymple was very critical of Captain Cook. Hence, the second mission went ahead, and Cook was determined that he would map everything, go further than any man before. And that's where he got very, very close to Antarctica. But you have to realize the type of equipment they had back then must have been very, very perilous indeed. You got to realize these ships were only about 100 feet long, you know, the conditions must have been horrific. The men were very, very hardy, referred to by the likes of the hierarchy and Cook himself as “The People.” DEANO: It's an amazing story. And those seas in that area are incredibly difficult even by modern ship standards. So, you're right, using the equipment they had, it's phenomenal. And that brings us up to his third and final voyage. I know he departs England in 1776, when he's 47 years old, and he's out on this third trip. Tell us about the two ships he uses this time. ROB: Well, he goes back to the faithful Whitbys. Again, they have been changed with the rigging. Traditionally, they had light rigging. Cook had them created with heavier rigging so they could take larger sails. But this is where the problem comes in. When he agreed to do this, he was basically hanging out with really high rollers and people like the Earl of Sandwich who was actually bankrolling this expedition. Hugh Pallister, who was the, he was a big proponent of Captain Cook. Basically, Pallister and the Earl of Sandwich took Cook to this third mission. Now Cook was still writing memoirs and books and doing other deals from his second voyage. Now in his previous voyages, he had been all over Deptford. Deptford was the British military industrial complex shipyard set up actually all the way back by Henry the Eighth. Unfortunately, Deptford, if they were not monitored would be very slapdash, to turn a phrase, in their work. Initially, with his earlier voyages, Cook spent hours and hours at Deptford making sure the work was done to his satisfaction including even making sure all the caulking was correct on these vessels. The rigging was all correct. On this one, Cook apparently did not have the same attention for detail and I think this is where, like in many things in life, it isn't one thing that catches you out, it's a number of things. And I think it's important to point out Cook, not having the same attention to detail as he had in the past, really ended up biting him in the end and was one of the key reasons why he ended up coming back to Kealakekua Bay. DEANO: Yeah, let's… we're gonna get into that. So, these two…well, for lack of a better term, these two working vessels are the HMS Resolution and the HMS Discovery. So officially, what was the purpose of the third voyage? ROB: Well, the third voyage, this was the other reason why Cook, in the meeting with Pallister and the Earl of Sandwich. If Cook could find what they believed was a Northwest Passage to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific and facilitate trade between England and through to China. And it could obviously create massive trade routes for them. DEANO: Yeah, I think that's what a lot of people don't realize is today, we have the, you know, the benefit of viewing the world as we view it. But at Cooks time, people didn't really have that, and that Northwest Passage would have connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the top. I think it's January 18, 1778. Cook happens upon the Hawaiian Islands. He's not really searching for them. He just comes upon them and he anchors in the mouth of the Waimea river over on Kauai’s west side on January 20. And then I understand he brings gifts with him of three goats, two English pigs, and I read the seeds of melons, pumpkins and onions. The Hawaiians in turn, and this is interesting, I was reading the journals, the Hawaiians offered Cook and his crew, “the skins of bright red ʻIʻiwi birds”, and they record that they were “tied up in bunches of 20 or more.” ROB: Very high honor that. And you know, because they obviously were giving him same respect as high chiefs. DEANO: Yeah, we should point out that these feathers would be extremely valuable. So yeah, that's… that's a great insight. ROB: Well, he was very intrigued to see these islands and was very shocked to…to find them, because obviously, he was a student of history. He knew that Magellan had gone across the Pacific some 200 years before, and there's no mention of these islands anywhere. And then all of a sudden, he's heading from Tahiti, up to what is now Alaska and Canada's West Coast and he ends up bumping into Niʻihau, and Kauai. So, he meets the people there, he didn't spend an amazing amount of time there due to the fact that he was really thinking about this Northwest Passage. So, he did take on supplies, but of course, he mapped where they were. I think he considered this in the back of his mind, a great asset in the fact that he could winter here and then go back to the Northwest Passage. Because I think he did believe it may take some finding for them to do, and of course, a very short season up there, where they could map and work their way through there. So, Cook could make 20,000 pounds, which 20,000 pounds back then probably somewhere near 50, 60 million now. DEANO: I think those maps that he was making where he has the Hawaiian Islands, by the way, I should point out Cook was actually phenomenal mapmaker. Some of his maps he made were still in use right up into the mid-20th century, which is it's just phenomenal. But those maps would play a crucial role in Hawaii's history after Cook's death. So, he leaves the Hawaiian Islands and he's resupplied. He sails north in search of this famous Northwest Passage that would have provided this direct route. But I understand that the ridiculously horrible seas and weather, he has a near mutiny on his hands, and he has to turn back. ROB: Also, they were very fortunate with the massive tides they get in Alaska where it can change 20 feet within hours, you know, when they went in these inlets, you realize these guys are on the sailing ships. They're not very maneuverable, and especially when you're in mountainous terrain in an inlet, and then the tide changes on you. And also, massive changes of current. That, and the very bad weather, really caused the problem and they did run aground. A lot of the men had had enough. I think they could feel like they were all going to get killed. The areas they were going, and Cook was quickly finding out all these inlets - they didn't go anywhere. They weren't going through to the Atlantic, it just wasn't happening. Of course, people also have to realize that Cook had the ability to do longitude and latitude because of Harrison's chronometer. That's what's not really talked about. This is how he was able to do such precise maps. Because when John Harrison, who was commissioned by the Royal Navy to create this chronometer, also paid a great deal of money to do so. He was able to tell what time it was in Greenwich, hence we had GMT. So, this very reliable ships clock, Harrison's chronometer, could tell Cook where he could transpose with his other equipment, you know, sextants and compasses, exactly where they were. And obviously, they could tell also how far they were from the Atlantic when they're up there. And they could tell they're in this inlet and they're over 2000 miles away. Deano: So, Cook does sail back to Hawaii. He now knows where it is, and his plans are to overwinter in warmer weather, but he doesn't come back to the same spot. This has been almost a year since he visited the islands. Where did he land this time? Rob: That was another issue that he had with his men. He was mapping the island. You've got to realize he came back here in the winter, and we get these very large swells. So, he mapped the Big Island, and he mapped part of Maui, and he was looking for an area where he could have a safe harbor. For those people who are very familiar with Kealakekua Bay. It is one of the most protected areas in all of Hawaii. And that is because it's protected by not only Mauna Loa and Maunakea from the trade winds, but also by Hualālai, lots of protection for ships like this. So, Cook after going round, basically mapping the Big Island. He decides that finally he'll come into Kealakekua Bay and they were very keen after all this time to get on land. Just experience lots of fresh food which, in the meantime, trading with locals, locals would come up, offer them fruit, pork and other things. A lot of the men on these ships also were very interested in having some sort of relationship with the local women. Deano: Yes, the beauty of Polynesian women is just legendary. You can see how it was recorded. So, I can only imagine what this first contact was like. So, he does anchor in Kealakekua Bay on January 17, but he anchors during these Makahiki celebrations. And I understand he actually welcomes aboard Kalaniʻōpuʻu who is the aliʻi nui of Hawaii, a very respected chief and the two men even exchange gifts, right? Cook offers this English steel dagger and then Kalaniʻōpuʻu presents Cook with an ʻAhu ʻula, which we should point out is a feathered cloak, and a brightly colored mahiole, which is a feathered ceremonial helmet. What was the significance of these gifts? Rob: The people actually were in belief they, being in Makahiki, they believed Lono would come and visit them. Cook shows up in the ships, obviously he has this uniform on, and it's like a prophecy. They treated him, some people I believe, on the side of the aliʻi , was somewhat skeptical that this was not Lono. But enough people were in belief that it was Lono. Now they decided to bestow these honors of him which would be that of the highest aliʻi with the feathered cape and the helmet. And I do believe Dean that these were returned eventually to Hawaii in 2016. I know they obviously went back to England, and then they were in a museum in…in New Zealand. And then somehow the Bishop Museum I believe, and Hawaiian Airlines were even involved where they able to retrieve these and now they're, I believe at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu? Is that correct? Deano: Yes, I believe so. And that's and that's a really fascinating story, because it makes this history so real and so and so tangible, that you know how these two great men facing each other, what happened. Then he leaves Hawaii once again after this relatively pleasant exchange, this initial time. Some accounts I read said he left on February 4, and others say he didn't leave until the sixth, but he is only out at sea for a week. What happened?
Deano: Well, I think we need to go back to a couple of other things. Just briefly, first of what happened. Obviously, the people that had seen the British, and had seen the technology they had - cannons, the guns, various other aspects and of course they were very amazed by certain things. Why they wanted iron work, they wanted metal objects. They wanted them I think to make their life easier, also to maybe fashion weapons. Now they thought he could possibly be Lono, but a couple of incidents happen. And one of the big ones was when Seaman Walkman died. When you think somebody is like godlike or some form of you know, is immortal, and then you see them die just like your people die, maybe the luster is wearing off. Also, I think the other thing that's important to bring to people's notion here. The Hawaiians are incredibly generous with the amount of food and provisions that they were giving the British on this visit here. Even though they were giving them massive amounts, they still appear to want more. So, I think after a certain amount of time, they're probably looking at their depleted reserves themselves probably thinking these people are somewhat selfish. After the three-week initial, shall we say love fest that they had together, the British seem to have a problem with the Hawaiians taking what they wanted off their vessel. So, there was some theft issues of tools and various other things which created a friction. And I think that built up to this and then of course, Cook realized he was quickly wearing out his welcome at Kealakekua Bay. But he wasn't ready to head back up to find the Northwest Passage again because don't forget, we're still in the winter. I think he was… his thoughts were to try and find an equivocal place in Maui and hang out there for a while before he wore out their welcome in the area. I think somewhere probably not far from Waikoloa; “Waikablowa” as is known here. That's where their mast failed, you know, could that be because of Deptford and the military industrial complex’s bad work in England? I think very possibly it could. And that came back to bite Cook because that's when he turned around, went back to Kealakekua Bay. Deano: But it's a very different reception now. Right, because he's like you said, they'd sort of over, they've worn out their welcome. Rob: They have. Kalaniʻōpuʻu was not pleased to see them. There was no welcoming committee for them or anything. He did agree, after speaking to Cook, to provide a few people to help cut down a tree. Shall we say things, there was definitely friction there. A number of people's diaries and men on the ship said there was a very, very different atmosphere when they re-entered Kealakekua Bay, I believe on February the 11th. Deano: Absolutely. Rob: When they got back. Deano: Yeah, February 11. So, and I know for listeners, many people are listening to this podcast just to get to this point. I think we're gonna do this as diplomatically as possible because this brings us to February 14, 1779, and that is a painful day of remembrance for all involved. Fortunately for historians, there were numerous eyewitnesses and multiple firsthand accounts recorded to what happened. And while those small details differ, the general unfolding of events is the same. So, what touched off the unfortunate events of specifically February 14, Deano: Well, the British had been somewhat slack in security. So, they had these skiffs, these rowing boats, that they would come ashore on. One of them was stolen. He told his other men; we have to get this skiff back. And he went in, made the mistake of not really understanding the system these people lived under, and that is the system of the kapu. Now a lot of people don't realize this, but the kapu system was if you offended the Chief, you offended the god. Now, people were not meant to cast a shadow on the Chief. They were not meant to stare at them in the eyes. The very ground the Chief walked on, carried their mana. So, Captain Cook, he's furious that he's lost this rowboat. He thinks that, well in a European way of doing things, Kalaniʻōpuʻu is responsible. So, he's going to go there and kidnap him and take him hostage until the rest of the Hawaiians come back with his boat. Well, this is where it all goes terribly wrong. He goes up to Kalaniʻōpuʻu’s house and he says he wants him to come with him. Well, the other Chiefs, some other aliʻi, he and his wife say no, no, he's not going with you and his wife thinks that the British might potentially want to kill him. So, the other aliʻi, they hold on to him and say he's not going with you. Kalaniʻōpuʻu ends up sitting down and it seems evident to Cook, this is not working out very well. Then I believe it gets worse because word comes in that the British have shot another aliʻi out in Kealakekua Bay. This tends to enrage them, and it starts going downhill from there Dean. Deano: Yeah, I should point out that worldwide at various universities, they still study these events as examples of first contact, cultural differences and the failure of diplomacy. When two cultures that do not understand each other collide. And this is really an example of that when you see how Cook’s strategy was so poorly thought out. And when you see what he was trying to achieve. Also Cook, I was reading accounts, he had a legendary short temper - very much so. So, he wouldn't be exactly the diplomat you would be wanting to send out. So, I understand he took four Marines with him and during this altercation, what happens? Rob: He has the Marines with him. I believe there was a backup vessel as well with other Marines on and of course, they have guns, but we're talking about Revolutionary War day weapons. He's surrounded by a large amount of Hawaiian warriors, aliʻi, etc, who were very perplexed about what's going on there. Unfortunately, things turn for the worst. One of the British Marines opens fire on someone that causes the incident. Also, one of the other chiefs starts coming up to Cook and prodding him, actually with one of the daggers that was gifted to them. So, Cook is not liking being prodded with a…with a dagger. So, he uses a pistol that he has with him and fires; well he's firing birdshot. And some people say he had a shield, some people say he was wearing something else. Anyway, it doesn't have any effect. I think more people are closing in on Cook. And he's getting prodded a bit more and he's feeling people closing in on him. So, he fires a second shot that hits one of the people approaching him, not the man who was prodding him by the way, and he hits him and kills him. Then it becomes too much. Apparently Cook then starts to wave at the other vessel. Some accounts say he was waving it off and trying to de-escalate things, other people have an explanation that he was trying to tell them to open fire. I don't think any of us really can honestly say we know, but what did happen was as Cook had his back turned, he was stabbed, then clubbed on the head, and then he went down. Now we have to realize another couple of things about Captain Cook. Even though he's a great seafarer, the man could not swim. So even though he was like, stuck there very close to the ocean, he wasn't going to be swimming himself. Of course, the other Marines had opened fire. But these four Marines were killed with Cook. I believe 15 Hawaiian warriors were killed and may have been possibly more casualties because the British opened fire with cannon as well. Deano: That it … it's just so strange today. Looking back on these horrible events Rob, and I see these events today trivialized on T-shirts and websites usually accompanied by some sort of inaccurate statement. This was no victorious battle for anyone, not only did Cook and his men die, but like you mentioned, many, many Hawaiians died as well. It was a horrible day for all involved. When I visit the cook Memorial at Kealakekua Bay, I feel a tremendous sense of sadness. It's a somber place. It's not just a memorial for Cook, it's really a memorial for all those that lost their lives that day and the days that would follow. I wanted to get to this point in our interview today and that is, tell us a little bit about the aftermath of these events. How did these amazing two great seafaring nations and monarchies, how did they move past these events, and eventually not only became good friends but close allies? And we see that later on in Hawaii's history. Rob: We do, and I think what happened is there's a number of people who were with Cook that really saw the potential here. After two days standoff, some of Cookʻs remains were rowed out by canoe and handed over, as whether you would call it, a peace conciliation. Anyway they did receive some of Cook's body and the British were able to give him a burial in Kealakekua Bay, where they formed a coffin, put his remains in it and some cannonballs and as a conciliation with the service they did, they actually had the Hawaiians agree to clear the bay. So, the only people were there with the service onboard ship, were the British. I think that was the sign of some healing. Right then and there, two days after these very sad events. You know, that brings us then to obviously, Cookʻs maps, then led lots of other people here, including people like George Vancouver, who came over, bearing gifts and formed a very profitable relationship for him and Kamehameha. Deano: It's just an amazing, amazing story. And that is all the time we have for today. But I really want to thank our guest, local historian and guide Rob Kitsell. You can tell just from this interview that that's what has made him a highly sought-after guide is that depth of knowledge to get the background of the stories. If you are planning on visiting the island of Hawaii, I would encourage you to please take time to visit beautiful Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Memorial. It's a great way to remember these events and to heal and move forward. It's Hawaiian history and it's well worth remembering. Thank you so much for coming out Rob. Rob: You're most welcome, Dean.
Description
Captain James Cook, a British explorer, made three historic voyages that would forever change our perceptions of the planet. To this day, he's been respected and ridiculed, loved and loathed, revered and reviled. It was his third and final voyage that would forever link his legacy to the islands of Hawaiʻi. Local historian and tour guide Rob Kitsell shares the history of Captain Cook.
Date Created
06/23/2021
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