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Thanks for the other ce, I think this one needs to stay capitalised as it is a specific Society. :) |
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====Shipwreck====
[[File:Tile on street depictng HMB Endeavour. Cooktown. 2005.jpg|thumb|Tile on street depicting HMS ''Endeavour''. Cooktown. 2005]]
For the next four months, Cook charted the coast of Australia, heading generally northward. Just before 11:00 pm on 11 June 1770, the ship struck a reef,<ref name="Cook11June">Beaglehole 1968, pp. 343–345</ref> today called [[Endeavour Reef]], within the [[Great Barrier Reef]] system. The sails were immediately taken down, a [[Anchor#Kedging|kedging anchor]] set and an unsuccessful attempt was made to drag the ship back to open water. The reef ''Endeavour'' had struck rose so steeply from the seabed that although the ship was hard aground, Cook measured depths up to {{convert|70|ft}} less than one ship's length away.<ref name="Cook11June"/>
Cook then ordered that the ship be lightened to help her float off the reef. Iron and stone ballast, spoiled stores and all but four of the ship's guns were thrown overboard, and the ship's drinking water pumped out.<ref name="Cook11June"/> The crew attached [[buoy]]s to the discarded guns with the intention of retrieving them later,<ref name="Parkin317">Parkin 2003, p. 317</ref> but this proved impractical. Every man on board took turns on the pumps, including Cook and Banks.<ref>Parkin 2003, p. 313</ref>
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As expected the leak increased once the ship was off the reef, and all three working pumps had to be continually manned. A mistake occurred in [[Sounding line|sounding]] the depth of water in the hold, when a new man measured the length of a sounding line from the outside plank of the hull where his predecessor had used the top of the cross-beams. The mistake suggested the water depth had increased by about {{convert|18|in|cm}} between soundings, sending a wave of fear through the ship. As soon as the mistake was realised, redoubled efforts kept the pumps ahead of the leak.<ref name="Cook12June"/>
The prospects if the ship sank were grim. The vessel was {{convert|24|mi}} from shore<ref name="Courier1878"/> and the three ship's boats could not carry the entire crew.<ref>Parkin 2003, p. 311</ref> Despite this,
Midshipman Jonathon Monkhouse<!-- sometimes spelt Munkhouse, but Cook used "Monkhouse" in his journal. Brother of William Monkhouse, the gunner --> proposed [[fothering]] the ship, as he had previously been on a merchant ship which used the technique successfully.<ref>Parkin 2003, p. 321</ref> He was entrusted with supervising the task, sewing bits of [[oakum]] and wool into an old sail, which was then drawn under the ship to allow water pressure to force it into the hole in the hull. The effort succeeded and soon very little water was entering, allowing the crew to stop two of the three pumps.<ref>Parkin 2003, p. 322</ref>
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