Ships associated with James Cook in Newfoundland

  HMS Antelope

Cook returned to Newfoundland early in 1763 as a passenger on HMS Antelope. The 4th rate ship was under the command of Thomas Graves, the Governor of Newfoundland. The ship, rebuilt in 1742 at Woolwich Dockyard, was 853 tons, 40.8 m. long and 11.6 m. wide and carried 54 guns. The Antelope was sold in 1783.

  HMS Aquilon

The Aquilon was a 6th rate of 28 guns built at Rotherhithe in 1758. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1765 under the command of Captain Philip Tufton Perceval. The Navy sold the 600 ton vessel in 1776.

  HM Snow Egmont

The Egmont was a snow purchased in 1765. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1765 under the command of Archibald Dickson. The 100 ton vessel was lost in 1776.

  HMS Favorite

The Favorite was a 14 gun sloop built at Shoreham in 1757. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1766 under the command of William Hamilton. The Navy sold the 313 ton vessel in 1784.

  HMS Gibraltar

The Gibraltar was a 6th rate of 20 guns built at Portsmouth in 1757. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1766 under the command of Richard Brathwaite. The 430 ton vessel was broken up at Portsmouth in 1773.

  HMS Gosport

The Gosport was 5th rate of 691 tons and 36 guns. It was built in Limehouse in 1741. In 1762, it was part of the squadron under Colvill based at Halifax. Under the command of Captain John Jervis (later Lord St. Vincent), the Gosport took part in the recapture of St. John's.

  HMS Gramont

The Gramont had originally been a French privateer called the Comtesse de Grammont that had been captured in 1757. It was in St. John's when the French took the harbour in 1762. When Ternay escaped, he took the Gramont back to France.

  HM Schooner Grenville

Thomas Graves, the Governor of Newfoundland, appointed Cook as a Surveyor in early 1763. In September 1763, Graves arranged for a schooner to be made available in St. John's for Cook to use in his duties. It had been built in Massachusetts in 1754 and launched as the Sally. It was renamed the Grenville after George Grenville, the First Lord of the Admiralty.

The Grenville was 69 tons, 16.8 m. long by 5.2 m. wide and carried 12 guns. Cook was designated its master and it represented his first command in the Royal Navy. Over the next few years from 1763 until 1767, the schooner enabled Cook to survey the northwestern, southern and western coasts of Newfoundland.

Cook spent the summers in Newfoundland actively surveying and, from 1764 onwards, sailed the Grenville back to Britain each fall, returning again every spring. In December 1764, The schooner was changed into a brig. Cook parted with the Grenville in December 1767. Matthew Lane, who had been Cook's assistant in 1767, assumed command and took the brig back to Newfoundland in 1768 to complete the surveys. The Grenville was broken up in 1775.

  HMS Guernsey

The Guernsey was a 4th rate of 48 guns built at Blackwell in 1696. It was rebuilt at Chatham in 1740. It was based in Newfoundland waters from 1764 to 1768 serving as Governor Palliser's flagship. The 430 ton vessel was hulked in 1769 and was sold by the navy in 1786. The island at the entrance to the Bay of Islands was named after this ship in 1764.

  HM Schooner Hope

Alexander, Lord Colvill wrote to Philip Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty, in early 1764 describing his success in acquiring six Marblehead schooners. The Marblehead schooner was used in Nova Scotia for fishing and trading. A typical Marblehead schooner was 18 metres (59 ft) long, about 80 tons, carried a crew of up to 30 men and 8 ten-pounder guns. Three were ordered from Boston while two schooners were purchased in Halifax and were fitted out there. One of these vessels was the Hope schooner of 105 40/94 tons. The Hope then sailed to Newfoundland where it formed part of the squadron based there. In 1765, the Hope carried two Moravian missinaries to northern Labrador.

  HM Yacht Katherine

The Katherine was built at Chatham Dockyard in 1674 and rebuilt at Deptford in 1720. Originally 131 tons burthen, it was enlarged to 166 tons at rebuilding. The Katherine carried a crew of 40 and was armed with 8, 3-pounder guns. It spent most of its time at Deptford and the Grenville was, therefore, moored close to its semi-permanent position. It only made short trips to sea so that its crew was often lent to other vessels. For example, on 23 January 1765, the Katherine set sail for the continent carrying Charles of Brunswick's retinue but was back at Deptford by 23 February. Another trip, on 04 September 1766, took Augustus Keppel, Rear Admiral of the Blue to Harwich. The vessel was sold off in 1801.

  HMS Lark

Hugh Palliser took over as Governor of Newfoundland in 1764. He and Cook travelled together on HMS Lark, under Captain Samuel Thompson, from Britain in the May. The Lark was a new ship, having been built in 1762 in Rotherhithe by Bird. It was a 5th rate, 646 tons, 38.7 m. long and 10.4 m. wide, and carried 32 guns. The Lark was scuttled at Newport, Rhode Island in 1778 at the same time as the Endeavour.

  HMS Merlin

The Merlin was a 304 ton sloop with 10 guns built in Rotherhithe in 1757. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1766 under the command of John Hamilton. The vessel was abandoned and burned in the Delaware River in 1777.

  HMS Niger

The Niger was a 5th rate of 33 guns built in Sheerness in 1759. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1765 and 1766 under the command of Sir Thomas Adams. Joseph Banks and Constantine Phipps were passengers on the Niger in 1766 and there is unsubstantiated speculation that Banks and James Cook may have met in St. John's when the two ships were in that port in October. The vessel became a prison ship in 1810 and was sold by the navy in 1814.

  HMS Northumberland

Cook joined HMS Northumberland in late 1759 as master. The vessel had just been designated the flag ship of a small squadron under Commodore Alexander, Lord Colvill. Captain William Adams was the ship's captain. While Admiral Charles Saunders took the rest of the fleet back to Britain, Colvill was to take his squadron to Halifax and remain on the North American station.

The Northumberland was built at Plymouth Dockyard in 1750. It was a 3rd rate of 1,414 tons, 48.8 m. by 13.7 m. and carried 70 guns. It was the largest ship that Cook would sail on. In 1760, Colvill and the Northumberland returned to Quebec to assist General Murray who had been besieged by the French attempting to retake the city. The French finally surrendered Canada in September 1760 and the British ships prepared to retire once more to Halifax. Nicholas Bateman replaced Adams as captain before they left Quebec.

The Nothumberland stayed in Halifax harbour from October 1760 until August 1762, when it sailed via Placentia to help retake St. John's in Newfoundland. After a successful mission, the British fleet sailed from Newfoundland in October and anchored at Spithead. Cook was laid off and went home to get married. The Nothumberland became a storeship and was renamed Leviathan in 1777. It foundered in 1780.

  HMS Pearl

The Pearl was a 5th rate of 32 guns built at Chatham in 1762. It was based in Newfoundland waters from 1763 to 1766 under the command of Charles Saxton. The 683 ton vessel was sold by the navy in 1832 for breaking up. The island at the entrance to the Bay of Islands was named after this ship in 1764.

  HMS Shrewsbury

HMS Shrewsbury was a 3rd rate of 1,594 tons, carrying 74 guns. It was built at Deptford in 1758. Captain Hugh Palliser was in command in 1762 when it was dispatched across the Atlantic to assist in the recapture of Newfoundland.

  HMS Spy

The Spy was a 10 gun sloop built at Rotherhithe in 1756. It was based in Newfoundland waters from 1763 until 1766 under the command of Thomas Allwright . The 222 ton vessel was sold by the navy in 1773.

  HMS Syren

HMS Syren (Siren) was a 6th rate of 500 tons and 24 guns. It was built at Limehouse in 1745. In 1763, it was patrolling off Newfoundland under the command of Captain Charles Douglas. It forwarded news of the French attack on St. John's and then took part in Newfoundland's recapture. The Syren was sold by the Navy in 1764.

  HMS Tamar

The Tamar was a sloop of 16 guns built at Saltash in 1758. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1763 under the command of cccc vvvvv.

  HMS Terpsichore

The Terpsichore was a 6th rate of 24 guns captured from the Fremch in 1760. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1763 under the command of xxxxx zzzzz. The Navy sold the 467 ton vessel in 1766.

  HMS Tweed

On his arrival in Newfoundland in 1763, Cook transferred to HMS Tweed under Captain Charles Douglas. The Tweed was a 5th rate, built by Blaydes in Hull in 1759. It was 661 tons, 39 m. long and 10.4 m. wide and carried 32 guns. The Tweed took Cook to the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the south coast of Newfoundland, which Cook was under instructions to survey before they were handed over to the French. Cook completed his task and the Tweed took him to St. John's in July 1763. Cook transferred to the schooner Grenville. The Navy sold the Tweed in 1776. The island at the entrance to the Bay of Islands was named after this ship in 1764.

  HM Cutter Wells

The Wells was a 10 gun cutter built at Folkestone in 1764. It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1766 under the command of Lieutenant James Lawson. The Navy sold the 84 ton vessel in 1780.

  HMS Zephyr (Zephir)

The Zephyr was a 224 ton sloop of 10 guns built at Rotherhithe in 1756 as the Merlin. The vessel was captured by the French in 1757 but recaptured the same year. As another Merlin sloop had been commissioned, the recaptured vessel was renamed the Zephyr. (By coincidence, both sloops were in Newfoundland waters in 1766). It was based in Newfoundland waters in 1765 under the command of John Hamilton and in 1766 under the command of Cornthwaite Ommanney. The Zephyr was captured by the French in 1778 before being recpatured and burned in 1780.

Captains and Commanders