- Author
- Thomson, Max
- Subjects
- History - general, Ship design and development
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- December 1992 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Pieces of oregon some 530 years old are among a whole range of woods being used to meticulously construct a museum replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour currently nearing completion in Fremantle by the H.M. Endeavour Foundation P/L.
The ship will become a national monument.
Though destined to be the centrepiece of the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, Endeavour will have a busy `working life’ at sea.
Original naval drawings plus much material provided by Greenwich Maritime Museum in Britain have enabled a remarkable team of skilled craftsmen and artisans to employ century old ship building processes and techniques in the construction of Endeavour.
Some idea of the scope of the project lies in the need for production of some 700 wooden blocks for the rigging.
366 Tonnes
Captain John Lancaster RAN (Ret.) of the Foundation gave some fascinating insight into it all recently at a series of talks to east coast organisations.
He clarified firstly use of the word Bark, indicating it was a type of vessel and not the rig of a sailing ship, as he spoke of Endeavour’s early days as the Earl of Pembroke built in 1764 before being Cook’s Endeavour to circumnavigate the globe in 1768 to 1771, claiming the east coast of New Holland (Australia) in the process.
This Endeavour replica was laid down on 22 October, 1988 with construction based on the use of jarrah frames, jarrah keel and jarrah lower hull plankings augmented by the use of oregon pine topsides, decks, masts and spars.
A shade short of 30 metres in length at the lower deck, Endeavour is almost 25 metres at keel length. Her masthead height, upon completion, will be just under 40 metres.
National Memorial
This most significant of Australian national memorials will be completed at a cost of $16 million. Begun as a gift to the nation by the Bond Corporation, completion of Endeavour is being spearheaded by a group of prominent citizens as Trustees headed by Mr. Arthur Welter CBE, Chairman of Britain’s Maritime Trust and who also is a Trustee of Greenwich National Maritime Museum.
Our Federal Government pledged $1.5 million and the NSW State Government another $0.75 million in the form of loans which convert to grants upon completion of the Endeavour replica.
Overseas Voyages
Captain Lancaster said the vessel was scheduled to be launched in May next year to be followed by harbour, sailing and crew “working up” trials. It is projected that Endeavour will leave Fremantle in October next year via Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart for Sydney arrival prior to Christmas 1993. Endeavour will then prepare for the first of its overseas voyages in 1994 to retrace the original Endeavour’s homeward voyage from Botany Bay to England.
In the UK the ship will `go on show’ in association with a Greenwich Maritime Museum exhibition of Captain Cook memorabilia. Endeavour will then go to Plymouth to set out on its reenactment of Cook’s voyage of discovery to our shores.
Upon arrival back in Australia it will spend something like four months of a year as the centrepiece of the Australian National Maritime Museum of Darling Harbour, and for eight months of a year it will pay visits to a variety of places involved with Australia Day, Captain Cook celebrations occasions and a series of other specialised anniversaries.
Already in excess of 360,000 people have seen Endeavour under construction in Fremantle.