Interesting Trivia:

• Surveyed the West coast of America
• First European to explore the inner waters of Burrard Inlet
• Served in the Royal Navy under James Cook
• Was the first to explore the southwest corner of Australia
• Discovered Puget Sound
• Named Vancouver Island (was originally named “Quadra and Vancouver’s Island”, but was shortened when the Spanish influence diminished)
• On his voyages, he named more than 400 places, most of them still in use
• There is a life-sized statue of George Vancouver on top of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria
• First European to enter Burrard Inlet (beyond Stanley Park), the main harbor area of the present day City of Vancouver
• His vessel “Discovery” was the first foreign vessel to enter San Francisco harbor

His Story:

Captain George Vancouver, was born in England, but of Dutch descend.  His great-grandfather had married an English woman.  George’s father John Jasper was an influential man in King’s Lynn (a busy seaport at the time). In 1772, he used this influence to bring young George on James Cook’s ship “Resolution”, where he received rigorous training in seamanship, navigation and surveying under Cook and also under William Wales, a noted astronomer.  The voyage went south, in search of the legendary Antarctic continent. He returned in July 1775.

On Cook’ next voyage, Vancouver was appointed to the vessel “Discovery”, while Cook sailed on the “Resolution”.  This time they were searching for the Northwest Passage.

Upon his return to England in October 1780, Vancouver passed the lieutenant’s exams and got an appointment on the “Martin”.

The next five years he spent at the West Indies Station, where Vancouver befriended Commodore Sir Alan (later Admiral Lord) Gardner, who became his influential patron.  While he was there, he surveyed Port Royal and Kingston Harbor.

Developments, which were to bring great changes to Vancouver’s life, happened on the west coast of America and Canada, when in 1789, Spain decided to occupy Nootka Sound, (the Nootka Crisis, was about the ownership of Nootka Sound and, of greater importance, the right to settle the Northwest American Coast).  Spain claimed exclusive sovereignty over the coast from California to Cook Inlet, a claim not recognized by Britain.  Spain’s actions included seizing British ships that entered the harbor and imprisoning their crew.  When this news reached Britain, they demanded satisfaction from Spain and war between the two countries seemed eminent.

Vancouver, who had been making preparations to sail on a projected surveying expedition was called to combat duty under Captain Gardner. However, the threat of war was ended when Spain signed a convention in October.  Vancouver was put in charge to sail to Nootka and meet with the Spanish commissioner, Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, who was very familiar with the Northwest Coast. He was given various assignments for this trip; the first to settle the damage claims to Spain for the 1789 seizures of the British ships.  Two other assignments were also very important.  He had to find out whether an entry to a Northwest Passage (or a navigable passage that extended far inland) actually existed. He was to make a detailed survey of the coast from California to Alaska while sailing up north.

Vancouver set out from Falmouth on April 1, 1791 on a year-long voyage to reach the coast of California.  He followed the route that he took years before with Cook; Northwest Coast the Cape of Good Hope, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. In June 1792, they entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Before he met with the Spanish commissioner, he had to wait for instructions which were coming on the ship “Daedalus”.  Vancouver used its delay in arriving at Nootka to explore the coast. He was very particular in surveying the coast and it took longer than the admiralty had initially planned.  Vancouver’s attention to detail took him three seasons to complete his survey, but also prevented that any bay or inlet of consequence from being overlooked.

With the relationship between the Spanish and English commanders restored, they agreed to cooperate in doing further survey. Spain had already surveyed areas (such as Strait of Georgia) that Vancouver had not reached yet (much to his chagrin) and as such it seemed like a good idea to work together for a while. In the weeks that followed, they cooperatively explored Georgia Strait and the Discovery Islands area.  Three weeks later, the parties went their separate ways.

Their ships proved too big and difficult to maneuver in some parts of the coast and they took anchor in various little harbors to continue with smaller boats, powered by both oars and sail.  Vancouver discovered that Vancouver Island was in fact an island.  His coastal survey brought him as far north as Burke Channel.  Word that the “Daedalus” had arrived reached him and he returned to Nootka. Quadra and he actually became friends, despite the fact that they could not come to a solution regarding the earlier difficulties between the two countries.  The uncertainties of the Spanish sovereignty and the lack of instructions from Britain restricted both men to act politically, but on a personal level, they had no hard feelings towards each other.

During his three seasons surveying, Vancouver named more than 400 places.  In the winter months he sailed to California and afterwards for the Hawaiian Islands.  His vessel “Discovery” was actually the first foreign vessel to enter San Francisco harbor.  He befriended the people on the islands and achieved that the island chief ceded the islands to Great Britain in 1794.  Unfortunately, overseas, Britain was involved in a war with Napoleon and as such the agreement that Vancouver made with the islanders was never made official. The other plan of Vancouver, trying to stop the inter-island disputes, did not materialize either.  He was not able to convince the chiefs to stop their wars.

In the spring they continued their survey, from Burke Channel, worked their way northward, explored Observatory Inlet and Portland Canal, and ended the season by circumnavigating Revillagigedo Island, in Alaska. Their last survey season began in Cook Inlet and ended in a bay near the southern tip of Baranof Island, which Vancouver named Port Conclusion.  Unfortunately, they did not find the Northwest Passage and Vancouver concluded that if it exists at all, it is not within the vast extent of coastline they had examined.

At the end of 1795, both ships had returned back to Britain after circumnavigating Cape Horn.  Unfortunately, Vancouver’s health had declined and he never returned to sea. Apart from that, he was facing personal problems and was even challenged to a duel by a disgruntled former expedition member, Thomas Pitt, the 2^nd Baron of Camelford, whom Vancouver had sent home in disgrace for bad behavior. He was working on his journal when he died, just 40 years old. Although he died in obscurity, only three years after returning home, to this day the City of Vancouver remembers their hero with a yearly wreath on his grave.