HMS Endeavour — Captain Cook's 1768 Ship Model, Handcrafted Wood | Admiral Line

A converted Whitby collier that carried James Cook to the far side of the world. Built plank on frame in hardwood, fully assembled.

Endeavour was never a graceful ship — she was a flat-bottomed coal carrier chosen precisely because she was tough, roomy, and could be run onto a beach for repairs without breaking her back. That decision saved the voyage when she struck the Great Barrier Reef. Our model keeps the blunt bow and boxy hull that made her the right ship for the job.

Construction

• Plank-on-frame hull in western red cedar, rosewood and mahogany
• Hand-knotted standing and running rigging, three masts
• Hand-stitched linen sails on every yard
• Deck detail: ship's boats, capstan, windlass, wheel, hatches and gratings
• Metal anchors and wooden rudder
• Solid wood base and engraved brass nameplate

The voyage

Launched at Whitby in 1764 as the collier Earl of Pembroke, she was bought by the Royal Navy in 1768 and refitted for a scientific expedition to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus. Cook's sealed second orders sent him south afterwards to search for the unknown continent. He charted New Zealand's coastline in full and became the first European to reach eastern Australia. On 11 June 1770 Endeavour grounded on the Great Barrier Reef; her crew threw guns and ballast overboard and beached her for seven weeks of repairs before limping home.