James Cook was commanding HMS Endeavour when the ship struck Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 1770.
Cook’s first voyage in the Endeavour was primarily a scientific and exploratory expedition. After observing the transit of Venus in Tahiti, the voyage continued across the Pacific and reached the east coast of Australia. Cook charted much of that coast before the vessel grounded on a reef near present-day Cooktown in June 1770.
The crew managed to refloat the damaged ship after carrying out emergency repairs. Cook then sailed north through the difficult waters of the reef system and reached a passage into the Torres Strait. The voyage produced charts and observations that became important to European knowledge of Australia’s eastern coastline.
A common mix-up is associating Cook with HMS Resolution, which he commanded on later voyages. HMS Beagle is instead linked especially with Charles Darwin’s voyage. The Endeavour’s encounter with the reef is one of the best-known episodes in the history of European exploration of Australia.