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Vital Statistics:
Born: June 22, 1757 in King’s Lynn, England.
Died: May 12, 1798
Occupation: Officer for the Royal Navy
Who was Captain George Vancouver?
Vancouver was captain of the British expedition that arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1792. This was not Vancouver’s first trip to the west coast of Canada, as he had been here in 1778 with Captain Cook’s third voyage. But bad weather had prevented Cook’s ships from getting close to land, and the crew saw very little of the Canadian coast, despite their orders to search for a Pacific outlet for the Northwest Passage.
George Vancouver entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13 as a seaman, and worked his way up to Captain by the time he retired. While serving with Cook he worked with William Bligh (later captain of Bounty during the infamous mutiny), claimed to have “been nearer the south pole than any other man” (after climbing the bowsprit before the ship turned back in the face of mountains of Antarctic ice), and nearly suffered the same mortal fate as Captain Cook (when he got into a similar skirmish the day before Cook died).
Why did Captain George Vancouver come to the Pacific Northwest?
There were three reasons for Vancouver’s visit to this coast:
- To meet with the Spanish commissioner Bodega y Quadra at Nootka on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Spain and Britain had been involved in a territorial dispute that resulted in the Nootka Convention, signed by both countries in the fall of 1790. Vancouver was to settle the damage claims from that agreement.
- To make a detailed survey of the coast from California to Alaska. Captain Cook’s voyage in 1778 had resulted in scanty surveying and thus inadequate charts.
- To determine whether there was a Northwest Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.
Why is George Vancouver famous?
 Most people know of George Vancouver because of the city and island named after him. But Vancouver is more famous for the charts he produced of the Pacific Northwest. These detailed charts were the result of an astonishing survey of much of the 27,000 km of coastline in British Columbia. This coastline is an intricate and complex network of inlets and islets, much of it too dangerous for Vancouver’s large ships. Thus the majority of the survey work was done in small rowboats. The work was long and arduous, taking three years to complete.
With the results of these surveys, Vancouver produced the most detailed and comprehensive charts of this coast, charts that were used for over a hundred years. Vancouver’s journals, and accompanying atlas went into a second edition printing only three years after publication in 1798. There were also French, German, and Swedish translations by 1801, and a Russian edition in 1827.
Did you know that ….
- Vancouver Island was originally named “Quadra and Vancouver’s Island” by Captain Vancouver to acknowledge the good relations established between the two diplomats at their Nootka meeting. The full name eventually dropped off the charts (probably because it was too long to fit on the map), and became shortened to “Vancouver’s Island” and then “Vancouver Island”.
- Vancouver’s two ships, HMS Discovery and HMS Chatham, traveled about 105,000 km during their four-year voyage (1791-95).
- George Vancouver missed meeting another famous explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, on Canada’s north Pacific coast by 6 weeks. At the same time that Vancouver was charting the Pacific coast, Alexander Mackenzie was just about to finish his cross-country voyage by canoe. When Mackenzie arrived in the Bella Coola area, the Bella Bella First Nations told Mackenzie he had just missed George Vancouver.
- Canada’s third largest city, Vancouver, is named in honour of the famous explorer.
Career Highlights
1772: At the age of 13, George was appointed to Captain James Cook’s ship HMS Resolution as an ‘able seaman’.
1775: Vancouver joined Cook’s third voyage aboard HMS Discovery and was promoted to midshipman.
1780: Passed his Lieutenant examination, appointed to HMS Martin, and dispatched to the Caribbean. While serving on Martin, Vancouver sees the most action, including a successful victory over a powerful French fleet.
1784 - 1788: While serving two separate terms on HMS Europa, Vancouver is promoted from Third to Second Lieutenant, and then First Lieutenant (second in command). Among the crew during these years in the Caribbean are Peter Puget, Joseph Baker, Joseph Whidbey and Zachary Mudge. All of who serve with Vancouver on his later voyage to the Pacific coast.
1790: Vancouver appointed Captain of Discovery for the voyage to the Pacific Northwest.
1791 – 1795: Vancouver leads the expedition to the Pacific Northwest where he spends three seasons charting the coast from San Francisco to Alaska.
1798: Vancouver’s journals, A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World in the Year 1790 – 1795 (…) are published posthumously.
Source
A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World, 1791-1795: With an Introduction and Appendices. Edited by W. Kaye Lamb. (London: Hakluyt Society).
For more information:
Fisher, Robin. Vancouver’s Voyage: Charting the Northwest Coast, 1791-1795. (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1992).
Gillespie, Brenda Guild. On Stormy Seas: The Triumphs and Torments of George Vancouver. (Victoria: Horsdal & Schubert, 1992).
Godwin, George. Vancouver: A Life 1757-1798. (London: Philip Allan, 1930).
Vancouver’s Guide to the Northwest Coast. (Library and Archives Canada.) http://www.collectionscanada.ca/explorers/h24-1730-e.html
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