From prolific travel writer Peter Moore comes a compelling nonfiction account of one of the most significant ships in the history of British exploration.
Miriam-Webster defines a biography as "a usually written history of a person's life." One might argue, therefore, that biographies can't be written about inanimate objects, and perhaps that's true. However, Peter Moore's latest work, Endeavour, defies that notion, describing "the most significant ship in the history of British exploration" in such a way that it feels like a living, breathing entity.

The HMS Endeavour (aka the HM Bark Endeavour) is best known as the Royal Navy vessel that Lieutenant James Cook commanded during his first voyage of discovery (1768-1771), during which she became the first European ship to reach the east coast of Australia. But Moore points out that the ship actually had three distinct "lives" – three different purposes, three different names. She was manufactured at the shipyards in Whitby and was launched in 1764 as a collier (a ship for transporting coal) under the name Earl of Pembroke — a rather unglamorous beginning.

Round and sturdy rather than sleek and graceful she had no dashing figurehead on her bows and no gingerbread work – those ornamental carvings that brought life to the sides of men-of-war. Under sail, she made a maximum seven or eight knots with an even wind abaft her beam, about half the rate of a frigate at full tilt. She behaved well at single anchor in the shallows, but otherwise she had no noteworthy sailing qualities.

Her rise to stardom, so to speak, came as the result of a rare astronomical event that Britain's Royal Society wanted to study but which was best observed from the Southern Hemisphere (see Beyond The Book), necessitating sending a select group of scientists abroad. The project ultimately became "a joint venture between the Royal Society and the navy. The Royal Society would take responsibility for the observations while the navy would supply the vessel and the nautical expertise." Time was short, and those looking for an appropriate ship could find only three that could be refitted for the task quickly. Of these, the Earl of Pembroke was deemed the better option based on "availability, utility and condition," according to the author. She was purchased and set sail in 1768 under her new name, Endeavour.

Endeavor's third "life" came after her retirement from the navy. Privately purchased, her new owner, James Mather, rented her back to the Royal Navy to transport troops and supplies across the Atlantic during the Revolutionary War. Rechristened Lord Sandwich 2, the ship left Portsmouth in 1776; unfortunately, she became one of several the British scuttled in Newport Bay on August 4, 1778, to block the French navy from helping the American colonists.

Moore describes each of the ship's adventures in great detail, concentrating not only on the voyages, but on the times that shaped how she was used. He focuses particularly on the politics of the day, citing historical events such as the Wilkes Riots in London in 1768 and disputes over the Falkland Islands during the 1770s as influences on British policy and ultimately on Endeavour. He also vividly depicts the sights, sounds and smells in areas that the ship would have visited, such as Whitby, London and Tahiti. Finally, he brings to life the men who held Endeavour's fate in their hands, such as master ship-builder Thomas Fishburn, explorer James Cook and botanist Joseph Banks. The first voyage to Australia makes up the lion's share of the narrative, but all sections are equally fascinating.

Moore's prose occasionally bogs down the narrative, as does his tendency to elaborate on minor details. The first chapter of the book, for example, is a treatise on how acorns produce oak trees and the oak's place in British imagination; the lengthy analysis of the type of wood the ship's made of comes across as unnecessary. Many other dense sections that seem only tangentially related to the ship are scattered throughout the book, slowing down the pace. Endeavour is obviously a labor of love, however, extensively researched and engaging, and well worth plowing through the less relevant sections. Most who enjoy historical non-fiction (particularly those who revel in detail) will find it an interesting read.

*Many thanks to Peter Moore, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
The book that is definitely outside my reading comfort zone is well-written and researched. Maritime history and the history of voyages presented in a detailed way that took me some time to get started. The story of a ship which is the symbol of her times will probably be most appreciated by those fascinated by the subject.

Requested as background reading for an editorial feature (review and article) we ran on BookBrowse:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3940/endeavour#reviews

Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is the story behind the humble little ship that is best remembered as the ship that took Captain James Cook on his first major journey of exploration. A humble collier (ship that carried coal), with many lives and many names, as Endeavour she circumnavigated the globe, survived coral reefs, and mapped New Zealand.

In his book, Peter Moore goes into carefully researched and detailed accounts of not only the building of Endeavour (first called (Earl of Pembroke) but also the Age of Enlightenment in which it was built and how that affected many of her crew: scientists and naturalists like Dr Solander and Joseph Banks (students of Carl Linnaeus) and Navy man James Cook himself. While the bulk of the book is spent on Cook's voyage Moore also gives fascinating details behind Endeavour's final incarnation: as the Earl of Sandwich bringing Hessian troops across the Atlantic and serving as a prison galley off of Newport during the American Revolution.

Quotes from letters, Navy lists, and journal entries bring each of Endeavour's incarnations into vivid life and Moore's detailed accounts do a fantastic job of making the reader feel as if they are a part of the crew, sharing the triumphs and terrors along with the sailors. Moore also does an excellent job of recognizing Endeavour as the symbol for so many of imperialism and conquest, and he pulls no punches in acknowledging the death and destruction European explorers in general, and Endeavour in particular, brought to the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand.

It did take me about a hundred pages to really get into Endeavour. Moore begins his study of the ship from acorn on, including studies of the variety of oaks in England and which ones were considered best for ship building, the history of the little town of Whitby where Endeavour was first built, the lives of the men behind her design and construction, and even the Enlightenment-era thinking behind the term "endeavour" itself. All of which was very interesting in small doses- but Moore reached virtually James Michener level details from beginning on for each of these subjects. Once things got going and Endeavour was out to sea the book picked up pace. Full of interesting facts on the science, philosophy, politics, and maritime history of the age, Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is an excellent read for history lovers, those interested in exploration, and maritime history.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I have always enjoyed reading history. This book not only illustrates the ship's life but also the time when great ship's were built. The Endeavor played an important role in the history of voyages. An extremely well written book.

‘Endeavour still has a place in many people’s hearts today.’

HMB Endeavour was the ship in which Lieutenant James Cook undertook his first voyage of discovery between 1768 and 1771. While the primary purpose of that mission was to observe the Transit of Venus from Tahiti, her secondary mission (to search for the elusive southern continent) led to the charting of New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia.

In this book, Mr Moore writes about the different lives and voyages of the Endeavour and her place in history. She was built in Whitby, first named the Earl of Pembroke and was worked as a collier until purchased by the Royal Navy in 1768.

‘Once afloat in 1764, she lived three distinct lives, under three distinct names, in three theatres of history.’

The story of the Endeavour is also the story of 18th century exploration by Britain, of scientific advances as well as of exploitation and imperialism.

While I knew that the Endeavour was built in Whitby and had been a collier, I knew nothing about what happened to her after 1771. I’ve been on the replica of the HMB Endeavour in Sydney and marvelled at how such a small vessel could have carried the men and supplies necessary for the voyage and then transport more than 30,000 botanical specimens back to England.

But the real story, Mr Moore writes, starts in Restoration England when the two hundred or so oak trees required to build the ship started growing. I like the idea of a connection between the time when the Royal Society was created (in 1660) and the Endeavour sailing in what is known as ‘The Age of Enlightenment’.

I was interested to learn that the Endeavour (then called the Lord Sandwich) was one of about 350 ships assembled off Staten Island before the Battle of Brooklyn (during the American Revolution) in August 1776. In 1778 she came to an end, sank by the British at Newport to try to obstruct the French fleet, which had arrived to help the revolutionaries.

I found this book fascinating. The history of the Endeavour held my attention but what made the book even more interesting for me was the way in which Mr Moore wrote about the period in which she sailed. I learned more about the building of ships at Whitby, about some of the great projects undertaken during the second half of the 18th century and about observations around the Transit of Venus.

‘History often conceals facts. Sometimes, however, through a long lens, it is possible to discern things that were entirely hidden to those closest to the scene.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith