The Endeavour, c 1770.

AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 09: Engraving by Rennoldson of Captain Cook's ship Endeavour laid on the shoreline of New Holland (now Queensland, Australia) for hull repairs during Cook's first voyage to the South Pacific (1768-1771). From 'Complete History of Captain Cook's First, Second and Third Voyages' (1784). Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the famed navigator and hydrographer, transformed the West�s knowledge of the Pacific region after making three exploratory voyages there and circumnavigating the globe twice. On this first voyage the ship's mission was to observe the transit of Venus (1769) and to seek out the fifth continent - Australia. In both cases the voyage was a success. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)