Captain Cook's Voyage

Captain Cook left England with the ships Discovery and Resolution. After discovering Hawaii, his ships sailed along the North American coast from present-day Oregon all the way to the Bering Strait and into the Arctic Ocean. This voyage created the first charts of the North American coastline from California to the Arctic, a remarkable achievement. For the first time, everyone knew the shape of North America. 

He sighted the Alaska coast in May 1778 and landed on the south side of Kayak Island (the same island as Bering). When Cook left England, he knew the Spanish were planning another voyage to the Northwest Coast, so he claimed the territory in the name of King George III of England. Cook's expedition continued from Kayak Island to explore Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. Captain Cook's crew were the first non-Natives to enter Cook Inlet, which later was named after him. 

At Point Possession on the Kenai Peninsula, Cook sent a boat to the shore where one of his lieutenants buried an earthen bottle with parchment inside, claiming all of the land drained by the waters of Cook Inlet for Great Britain. The bottle has never been found. Captain Cook entered Cook Inlet, hoping it would lead to the Northwest Passage. Turnagain Arm is so named because it was a disappointing "turn again" for Cook's crew when the Inlet was found to be a dead end. Other prominent Alaskan names coming from Captain Cook include Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, and Prince William Sound. 

From Southcentral Alaska, Cook's ships sailed around the Alaska Peninsula and north to Bristol Bay and Norton Sound. He sailed through the Bering Strait, but sea ice forced him to turn around at Icy Cape, near Kotzebue.  From there, Cook returned to winter in Hawaii, where he was killed in a skirmish with Hawaiian Islanders. The following summer, Cook's ships made a second attempt to find a Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean but were again blocked by sea ice just past the Bering Strait. 

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