Sandwich, Sandwich Islands, Alaska, and death
The third voyage began in 1779. Cook again sailed around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, touched Tahiti and New Zealand, and discovered what are now the Hawaiian Islands naming them the “Sandwich Islands” after his top naval superior, the notorious court dandy, John Montagu. Also known as, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich whose name would live much longer, although with somewhat less luster (save maybe a bright yellow smudge of mustard), between two slices of bread. From this discovery Cook then sailed north to carry out his appointed mission of charting the Pacific Coast of America, and proving or disproving once and for all the existence of the fabled and much searched for Northwest Passage.
Despite atrocious weather and seas Cook passed the Bering Straight, and fulfilled his mission, almost certainly becoming the first man to sail that close to both poles. Cook then returned to the Sandwich Islands where he received a welcome from the natives that was even warmer than he expected. They seem to have taken him for their God/legend Lono who was said to have gone mad after losing his wife, challenged every man in the islands to wrestling without losing a match, and finally sailed away in a great canoe promising to return with many pigs and dogs. The crews of both ships feasted for a month. With his usual perspicacity about natives, Cook realized when his welcome was wearing thin, and put to sea. Unfortunately, a broken mast forced him back, and he met his death at the hands of the natives while trying to prevent a violent episode between them and his men. He had taken a chief hostage (his tried and true method) to try and gain the return of a stolen boat, the chief was going peacefully, but his wife made a scene. In the ensuing confusion Cook was struck on the head, and then stabbed to death along with several of his marines. Cook’s body was dragged away, and only a few bare bones were ever returned. Captain James Cook, dead at 51, was buried at sea with honors.
In his three great voyages, Captain Cook filled in most of the blank places on the map of his time, improved diet and hygiene for sailors to the point that long voyages went from being seen as almost certain death to being viewed as very possible, disproved the theory of a southern continent and of a northwest passage, and settled the questions of accurate longitude measurement. In short, Captain Cook is the first man to live and travel in a truly “global” world. Australia as it is today is his also a parcel to his legacy. The impacts made on our world by this commoner turned Naval Officer are momentous in ways that are profoundly obvious, far-reachingly subtle, and simply extrordinary.
