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Cannon from the 'Endeavour'

Image Cannon from the 'Endeavour'

TLF ID R1745

This is an iron cannon, dating from around 1750, which was one of ten cannon installed on His Majesty's Barque 'Endeavour', commanded by Lieutenant James Cook.

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Educational details

Educational value
  • This asset is an artefact from Cook's first great voyage of discovery between 1768 and 1771, when he charted the east coast of Australia, claiming it for the British Government as 'New South Wales'.
  • It is evidence of the practice, common at the time, of lightening ships when necessary by jettisoning surplus weight - it was one of six canon tossed overboard in 1770 by order of Cook to help lighten the ship and float it off the hazardous Great Barrier Reef, where it had run aground.
  • It is evidence that Cook did not return to retrieve the cannon - it was not retrieved until 200 years later, when it was cleaned and conserved as part of a project funded by the Australian Government and presented to New Zealand for the commemoration of the bicentenary of Cook's visit to New Zealand in 1970.
Topics Cultural interaction Artillery

Other details

Contributors
  • Author
  • Person: Joseph Christopher
  • Description: Author
  • Contributor
  • Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Description: Content provider
  • URL: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Person: Joseph Christopher
  • Description: Author
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Publisher
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Colour independence
  • Device independence
  • Hearing independence
Learning Resource Type
  • Image
Rights
  • © Education Services Australia Ltd and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2013, except where indicated under Acknowledgements