The Endeavour was Captain James Cook’s sailing vessel (1728 – 1779). Between 1768 and 1771 the famous navigator and cartographer, whose aim was to study the ocean around the southern degree of latitude, undertook his first expedition with this vessel. The Cook Islands dedicate this new series its discoverer.

His ship Endeavour was a Whitby Cat type and made it up to 368 tons submerged displacement. The overall length was about 32 meters and the width nearly 9 meters. She was able to reach a speed up to 5 knots.

The flat design of the Endeavour’s hull was remarkable. Thereby she was indeed comparatively slow but, if need be, she was able to easily be stranded on the beach for repairs without requiring a dry dock. She had a crew of 70 men and was able to hold 24 passengers. The vessel was armed with 10 deck canons and 12 swivel guns.