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99-399: It was named by George Vancouver for his patron and former commander, Alan Gardner . Vancouver meant the name to apply to all of Saratoga Passage , but over time it came to refer to only the bay near Everett. 48°0′27″N 122°13′19″W  /  48.00750°N 122.22194°W  / 48.00750; -122.22194 This Snohomish County, Washington state location article is

198-529: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver ( / v æ n ˈ k uː v ər / ; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition , which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what are now the Canadian province of British Columbia and

297-513: A $ 1.55 postage stamp to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Vancouver's birth, on 22 June 2007. The stamp has an embossed image of Vancouver seen from behind as he gazes forward towards a mountainous coastline. This may be the first Canadian stamp not to show the subject's face. The City of Vancouver in Canada organised a celebration to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Vancouver's birth, in June 2007 at

396-541: A London street corner. The terms of their subsequent legal dispute required both parties to keep the peace, but nothing stopped Vancouver's civilian brother Charles from interposing and giving Pitt blow after blow until onlookers restrained the attacker. Charges and counter-charges flew in the press, with the wealthy Camelford faction having the greater firepower until Vancouver, ailing from his long naval service, died. Vancouver, at one time amongst Britain's greatest explorers and navigators, died in obscurity on 10 May 1798 at

495-417: A few minutes after 11:00 am. Both fleets then drifted apart for some time and became temporarily becalmed. Around noon, both fleets observed that the waters were teeming with sharks attracted by the noise and blood. French casualties were greatly increased due to the high number of troops packed onto the lower decks: a minimum of 900 per ship and no fewer than 1,300 on Ville de Paris . In order to lessen

594-667: A librarian at the University of Waikato , conducted his own research into George Vancouver's ancestry, which he published in an article in the British Columbia History journal. Robson theorises that Vancouver's forebears may have been Flemish rather than Dutch; he believes that Vancouver is descended from the Vangover family of Ipswich in Suffolk and Colchester in Essex. Those towns had

693-659: A memorial plaque in the church in 1841. His grave in Portland stone , renovated in the 1960s, is now Grade II listed in view of its historical associations. Vancouver determined that the Northwest Passage did not exist at the latitudes that had long been suggested. His charts of the North American northwest coast were so extremely accurate that they served as the key reference for coastal navigation for generations. Robin Fisher,

792-680: A more thorough survey. In October 1792, he sent Lieutenant William Robert Broughton with several boats up the Columbia River . Broughton got as far as the Columbia River Gorge , sighting and naming Mount Hood . Vancouver sailed south along the coast of Spanish Alta California , entered San Francisco Bay , later visiting Monterey ; in both places, he was warmly received by the Spanish. Later he visited Chumash villages at Point Conception and near Mission San Buenaventura . Vancouver spent

891-600: A narrative of his voyage which he started to write in early 1796 in Petersham . At the time of his death the manuscript covered the period up to mid-1795. The work, A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World , was completed by his brother John and published in three volumes in the autumn of 1798. A second edition was published in 1801 in six volumes. A modern annotated edition (1984) by W. Kaye Lamb

990-709: A plan against British forces. The strategic objectives of the Franco-Spanish military forces in the West Indies in this plan were: This plan became known as the "De Grasse–Saavedra Convention." The first objective had been essentially met by the surrender of the British army under General Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown in September 1781. De Grasse and his fleet had played a decisive part in that victory, after which they returned to

1089-450: A shipboard emergency; sailing master Joseph Whidbey had a competing claim for pay as expedition astronomer ; and Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford , whom Vancouver had disciplined for numerous infractions and eventually sent home in disgrace, proceeded to harass him publicly and privately. Pitt's allies, including his cousin, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger , attacked Vancouver in

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1188-475: A significant Flemish population in the 16th and 17th centuries. George Vancouver named the south point of what is now Couverden Island , Alaska, Point Couverden during his exploration of the North American Pacific coast, in honour of his family's hometown of Coevorden. It is located at the western point of entry to Lynn Canal in southeastern Alaska. The Admiralty instructed Vancouver to publish

1287-660: A square box covered with mats. Vancouver states: This we naturally conjectured contained the remains of some person of consequence, and it much excited the curiosity of some of our party; but as further examination could not possibly have served any useful purpose, and might have given umbrage and pain to the friends of the deceased, should it be their custom to visit the repositories of their dead, I did not think it right that it should be disturbed. Vancouver also displayed contempt in his journals towards unscrupulous western traders who provided guns to natives, writing: I am extremely concerned to be compelled to state here, that many of

1386-498: A supernumerary onboard Formidable . Sir Charles Douglas, a nephew of Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry , was Captain of the Fleet . Sir James Wallace was also present. Other commanders included Captains Blair, Buckner, Burnett, Charrington, Cornish, Dumaresq, Graves, Inglefield, Inglis, Knight, Parry, Saumarez, Savage, Symons, Truscott, Wilkinson, Williams, and Wilson. Frederick Thesiger , Acting Lieutenant on board Formidable ,

1485-461: Is the present day main harbour area of the City of Vancouver beyond Stanley Park . He surveyed Howe Sound and Jervis Inlet over the next nine days. Then, on his 35th birthday on 22 June 1792, he returned to Point Grey , the present-day location of the University of British Columbia . Here he unexpectedly met a Spanish expedition led by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés y Flores . Vancouver

1584-577: The British Army at Chesapeake Bay the year before, during the Siege of Yorktown , and supported the eventual American victory in their revolution. This battle, however, halted their momentum and had a significant effect on peace negotiations to end the war. The French suffered heavy casualties at the Saintes and many were taken prisoner, including de Grasse. Four French ships of the line were captured (including

1683-568: The Hawaiian Islands . Upon his return to Britain in October 1780, Vancouver was commissioned as a lieutenant and posted aboard the sloop HMS  Martin , initially on escort and patrol duty in the English Channel and North Sea. He accompanied the ship when it left Plymouth on 11 February 1782 for the West Indies. On 7 May 1782 he was appointed fourth lieutenant of the 74-gun ship of

1782-662: The Nootka Crisis developed, and Spain and Britain came close to war over ownership of Nootka Sound on contemporary Vancouver Island , and – of greater importance – over the right to colonise and settle the Pacific Northwest coast . Henry Roberts had recently taken command of the survey ship HMS  Discovery (a new vessel named in honour of the ship on Cook's voyage) with the prospect of another round-the-world voyage, and Roberts selected Vancouver as his first lieutenant, but they both were then posted to other warships due to

1881-731: The Spanish and French attempts to take Gibraltar , which for two years had been a costly disaster. Whilst de Grasse waited for reinforcements to undertake the Jamaica campaign, he captured St. Kitts in February 1782. The rest of the Windward Islands— Antigua , St. Lucia , and Barbados —still remained under British control. Admiral George Rodney arrived in the Caribbean theatre the following month, bringing reinforcements. These included 17 ships of

1980-743: The U.S. states of Alaska , Washington , Oregon , and California . The expedition also explored the Hawaiian Islands and the southwest coast of Australia . Vancouver Island , the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Vancouver River on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Vancouver, Washington in the United States, Mount Vancouver on the Canadian–US border between Yukon and Alaska, and New Zealand's fourth-highest mountain , also Mount Vancouver , are all named after him. Vancouver

2079-635: The Vancouver Maritime Museum . The one-hour festivities included the presentation of a massive 63 by 114 centimetre carrot cake , the firing of a gun salute by the Royal Canadian Artillery 's 15th Field Regiment and a performance by the Vancouver Firefighter's Band. Vancouver's then-mayor, Sam Sullivan , officially declared 22 June 2007 to be "George Day". The Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) Elder sɁəyeɬəq ( Larry Grant ) attended

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2178-590: The flagship ) and one was destroyed. Rodney was credited with pioneering the tactic of " breaking the line " in the battle, though this is disputed. In October 1781 Admiral Comte de Grasse, commander of the French fleet in the West Indies; Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis , General Bureau for the Spanish Indies; and Bernardo de Gálvez , court representative and aide to the Spanish Governor of Louisiana , developed

2277-573: The "Coeverden" family of the 13th–15th century. In the 16th century, a number of businessmen from the Coevorden area (and the rest of the Netherlands) moved to England. Some of them were known as Van Coeverden . Others adopted the surname Oxford , as in oxen fording (a river) , which is approximately the English translation of Coevorden . However, it is not the exact name of the noble family mentioned in

2376-576: The "Escadre Bleue;" and Vaudreuil as a second-in-command flew the mixed white and blue colours of the "Blanche et Bleue." Other British commanders included Captain Lord Robert Manners of HMS Resolution , Admiral William Cornwallis in command of HMS Canada , and HMS Monarch under the command of Captain Francis Reynolds . Other aristocrats present included Captain Lord Cranstoun ,

2475-399: The 90-gun HMS Namur . The remaining 31 ships were equipped with 64 to 74 guns. In total the British fleet had 2,620 guns compared to the French total of 2,526. Most of the British fleet was equipped with carronades on the upper decks, which had a major advantage in flexibility and were a great advantage at close quarters. In March 1782 Formidable was stationed at Gros Islet Bay between

2574-619: The British fleet would soon be upon them and broke off the engagement to withdraw a safe distance. De Grasse moved his ships to the Saintes Islands to the north (south of Guadeloupe). Meanwhile, Rodney reversed the order of his line to bring Drake's hitherto undamaged ships to the front, and allow Hood to undertake repairs in the rear lines. On 10 April the French began 10 miles distant but did not turn to engage, instead continuing on their original course, and by nightfall had increased their separation to 15 miles. This appears to be partly due to

2673-546: The British line, the sudden shift of wind let Rodney's flagship Formidable and several other ships, including Duke and HMS  Bedford , sail toward the French line. At 8:00 am Formidable raised the red flag to permit Marlborough to open fire and engage the French. At this point Marlborough was opposite Dauphin Royal , who received her full broadside. Sixteen ships in line separated Marlborough from Formidable and each stood 200 metres apart. As each circled past

2772-548: The Caribbean. On arrival in Saint-Domingue in November 1781, the admiral was notified to proceed with a plan for the conquest of Jamaica. Jamaica was the largest and most profitable British island in the Caribbean, mainly because of sugar: it was more valuable to the British economy than all of the 13 American colonies. King George III wrote to Lord Sandwich , saying that he would protect Britain's important Caribbean islands at

2871-633: The Columbia River nor the Fraser River were included on any of Vancouver's charts. Stephen R. Bown noted in Mercator's World magazine's November/December 1999 issue that: How Vancouver could have missed these rivers while accurately charting hundreds of comparatively insignificant inlets, islands, and streams is hard to fathom. What is certain is that his failure to spot the Columbia had great implications for

2970-463: The French fleet in the darkness. Rodney rested for the remainder of the night. The sun rose at 5:30 am. The French fleet extended from six to 12 miles distant, navigating the waters between Dominica and Guadeloupe. The majority of the warships lay off Prince Rupert's Bay . Due to a dead calm from 3:00 until 7:00 am, neither fleet could move. The initial wind only reached Barfleur and its eight support ships, causing them to detach ahead of

3069-606: The French, they fired a broadside against them. Second, behind Marlborough , was HMS Arrogant , who had been recently re-equipped and managed three broadsides against one from the French as they passed. Third in line was HMS Alcide under Captain Charles Thomson. Then followed HMS Nonsuch under Captain Truscott, and then HMS Conqueror under Captain George Balfour. Next in line was Admiral Drake on HMS Princessa , who

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3168-554: The Pacific Northwest , with the 1791 Francisco de Eliza expedition preceding Vancouver by a year, had also missed the Fraser River although they knew from its muddy plume that there was a major river located nearby. Vancouver generally established a rapport with both Indigenous peoples and European trappers. Historical records show Vancouver enjoyed good relations with native leaders both in Hawaii – with King Kamehameha I as well as

3267-505: The Pacific Northwest and California. Vancouver's journals exhibit a high degree of sensitivity to the indigenous populations he encountered. He wrote of meeting the Chumash people , and of his exploration of a small island on the Californian coast on which an important burial site was marked by a sepulchre of "peculiar character" lined with boards and fragments of military instruments lying near

3366-524: The Pacific region. In its first year the expedition travelled to Cape Town, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii (then known as the Sandwich Islands), collecting botanical samples and surveying coastlines along the way. He formally claimed at Possession Point, King George Sound Western Australia, now the town of Albany, Western Australia for the British. Proceeding to North America, Vancouver followed

3465-578: The Vancouver region. Many places around the world have been named after George Vancouver, including: Many collections were made on the voyage: one was donated by Archibald Menzies to the British Museum 1796; another made by surgeon George Goodman Hewett (1765–1834) was donated by Augustus Wollaston Franks to the British Museum in 1891. An account of these has been published. Canada Post issued

3564-458: The academic vice-president of Mount Royal University in Calgary and author of two books on Vancouver, states: He put the northwest coast on the map...He drew up a map of the north-west coast that was accurate to the 9th degree, to the point it was still being used into the modern day as a navigational aid. That's unusual for a map from that early a time. However, Vancouver failed to discover two of

3663-539: The age of 40, less than three years after completing his voyages and expeditions. No official cause of death was stated, as the medical records pertaining to Vancouver were destroyed; one doctor named John Naish claimed Vancouver died from kidney failure, while others believed it was a hyperthyroid condition. Vancouver's grave is in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, Petersham , in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames , England. The Hudson's Bay Company placed

3762-738: The battle at this stage, and many presumed her to be sunk. Formidable was followed by Namur under Captain Fanshawe and then St Albans under Captain Inglis . These were followed by the deadly Canada under Captain William Cornwallis , HMS Repulse under Captain Thomas Dumaresq, and HMS Ajax under Captain Nicholas Charrington. Each of these fired further upon the hapless and already crippled Glorieux . Simultaneously, and because of

3861-713: The blue. This was headed by HMS America under Captain Thompson. HMS Hercules under Captain Henry Savage followed. Then came HMS Prothee under Captain Buckner and Resolution under Captain Robert Manners . The 24-year-old Manners was the first casualty on his ship and was severely injured in both legs and right arm, dying later of these wounds. Resolution was followed by Duke under Captain Alan Gardner . As Formidable

3960-424: The centre of the French line. Having remained parallel with the French, the ships of Drake's division passed the remaining length of de Grasse's line and the two sides exchanged broadsides , a typical naval engagement of the time. Marlborough headed the British attack. As the battle progressed, the strong winds of the previous day and night began to temper and became more variable. As the French line passed down

4059-517: The coasts of present-day Oregon and Washington northward. In April 1792 he encountered American Captain Robert Gray off the coast of Oregon just prior to Gray's sailing up the Columbia River . Vancouver entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca , between Vancouver Island and the present-day Washington state mainland, on 29 April 1792. His orders included a survey of every inlet and outlet on the west coast of

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4158-457: The colonials, it [B.C.] wouldn't have been part of Canada to begin with and Britain would be the poorer for it. There has been some debate about the origins of the Vancouver name. It is now commonly accepted that the name Vancouver derives from the expression van Coevorden , meaning "(originating) from Coevorden ", a city in the northeast of the Netherlands. This city is apparently named after

4257-515: The confusion, the French had been throwing the dead (and perhaps the near-dead) overboard, a rich feast for the sharks. The French now lay totally to the leeward of the British fleet, which stood between them and their destination. They had little option on the re-emergence of the wind but to sail west with it and attempt escape. At 1:00 pm the frigate Richemont , under the command of Captain De Mortemart, but with Denis Decrès in charge of

4356-422: The crisis. Vancouver went with Joseph Whidbey to the 74-gun ship of the line HMS  Courageux . When the first Nootka Convention ended the crisis in 1790, Vancouver was given command of Discovery to take possession of Nootka Sound and to survey the coasts. Departing England with two ships, HMS Discovery and HMS  Chatham , on 1 April 1791, Vancouver commanded an expedition charged with exploring

4455-614: The eighteenth century, the estates of the van Couverdens were mostly in the Province of Overijssel , and some of the family were living in Vollenhove , on the Zuider Zee . The English and Dutch branches kept in touch, and in 1798 (the date of Vancouver's death) George Vancouver's brother Charles would marry a kinswoman, Louise Josephine van Couverden, of Vollenhove . Both were great-grandchildren of Reint Wolter van Couverden." In 2006 John Robson,

4554-564: The end of Vancouver's last season – the most serious of which involved a clash with the Tlingit people at Behm Canal in southeast Alaska in 1794 – these were the exceptions to Vancouver's exploration of the US and Canadian Northwest coast. Despite a long history of warfare between Britain and Spain, Vancouver maintained excellent relations with his Spanish counterparts and even fêted a Spanish sea captain aboard his ship Discovery during his 1792 trip to

4653-513: The enemy." As the wind rose around noon, it enabled most of the French fleet and part of the British fleet (including Rodney in Formidable ) to join the melee. At this point the French outnumbered the British two to one. Captain William Bayne on Alfred was killed during this action. After an inconclusive encounter during which both sides suffered damage, de Grasse realised that the remainder of

4752-406: The festivities and acknowledged that some of his people might disapprove of his presence, but also noted: Many people don't feel aboriginal people should be celebrating this occasion...I believe it has helped the world and that's part of who we are. That's the legacy of our people. We're generous to a fault. The legacy is strong and a good one, in the sense that without the first nations working with

4851-452: The flag from the mast and surrender, which was done to Royal Oak . Captain Burnett used this opportunity to restock his depleted powder supplies. Meanwhile, Monarch stood alongside Andromache , who was acting as a supply ship to the British fleet; 40 barrels of powder were exchanged. In the next action, around 1:30 pm, Centaur and Bedford attacked the stricken César , captained by Bernard de Marigny , who refused to surrender and

4950-401: The future political development of the Pacific Northwest.... While it is difficult to comprehend how Vancouver missed the Fraser River, much of this river's delta was subject to flooding and summer freshet which prevented the captain from spotting any of its great channels as he sailed the entire shoreline from Point Roberts, Washington , to Point Grey in 1792. The Spanish expeditions to

5049-583: The head of Lynn Canal , and charted the rest of Kuiu Island and nearly all of Kupreanof Island. He then set sail for Great Britain by way of Cape Horn , returning in September 1795, thus completing a circumnavigation of South America . Impressed by the view from Richmond Hill , Vancouver retired to Petersham , which was then in Surrey and is now in London. Vancouver faced difficulties when he returned home to England. The accomplished and politically well-connected naturalist Archibald Menzies complained that his servant had been pressed into service during

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5148-436: The history books that claim Vancouver's noble lineage: that name was Coeverden not Coevorden. In the 1970s, Adrien Mansvelt, a former consul-general of the Netherlands based in Vancouver, published a collation of information in both historical and genealogical journals and in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Mansvelt's theory was later presented by the city during the Expo 86 World's Fair , as historical fact. The information

5247-421: The incorrect presumption on Rodney's part that the French were going to turn to engage. On Wednesday 11 April two French ships, Zélé and Magnanime , who had accidentally collided and fallen behind the main French fleet, came into view around noon. Rodney decided that attacking these two ships would cause de Grasse to return to protect them, which worked: a large section of the French fleet turned to protect

5346-411: The interior. Vancouver noted that the region's "only defenses against foreign attack are a few poor cannons". He again spent the winter in the Sandwich Islands. In 1794, he first went to Cook Inlet , the northernmost point of his exploration, and from there followed the coast south. Boat parties charted the east coasts of Chichagof and Baranof Islands , circumnavigated Admiralty Island , explored to

5445-411: The island of St. Lucia and Pigeon Island . She was under the command of Admiral Rodney, serving as his flagship at the head of 36 ships of the line. Meanwhile, French Admiral de Grasse headed 34 ships of the line at Fort Royal Bay in Martinique. Rodney had been dispatched from Britain with 12 well-fitted ships to rescue the West Indies from a series of attacks from the French, which had already resulted in

5544-455: The large island on which Nootka was now proven to be located as Quadra and Vancouver Island . Years later, as Spanish influence declined, the name was shortened to simply Vancouver Island . While at Nootka Sound Vancouver acquired Robert Gray's chart of the lower Columbia River. Gray had entered the river during the summer before sailing to Nootka Sound for repairs. Vancouver realised the importance of verifying Gray's information and conducting

5643-487: The largest and most important rivers on the Pacific coast , the Fraser River and the Columbia River . He also missed the Skeena River near Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia. Vancouver did eventually learn of the Columbia River before he finished his survey—from Robert Gray , captain of the American merchant ship that conducted the first Euroamerican sailing of the Columbia River on 11 May 1792, after first sighting it on an earlier voyage in 1788. However, neither

5742-402: The latter island, as well as circumnavigating Revillagigedo Island and charting parts of the coasts of Mitkof , Zarembo , Etolin , Wrangell , Kuiu and Kupreanof Islands . With worsening weather, he sailed south to Alta California, hoping to find Bodega y Quadra and fulfil his territorial mission, but the Spaniard was not there. The Spanish governor refused to let a foreign official into

5841-412: The line HMS  Fame , which was at the time part of the British West Indies Fleet and assigned to patrolling the French-held Leeward Islands . Vancouver subsequently saw action at the Battle of the Saintes (April 1782), wherein he distinguished himself. Vancouver returned to England in June 1783. In the late 1780s, the Spanish Empire commissioned an expedition to the Pacific Northwest. In 1789,

5940-513: The line and gave the British a slight numerical advantage. On 7 April 1782, de Grasse set out from Martinique with 35 ships of the line, including two 50-gun ships and a large convoy of more than 100 cargo ships, to meet with a Spanish fleet of 12 ships of the line. In addition de Grasse was to rendezvous with 15,000 troops at Saint Domingue, who were earmarked for the conquest and intended to land on Jamaica's north coast. Rodney, on learning of this, sailed from St. Lucia in pursuit with 36 ships of

6039-421: The line the following day. The British ships' hulls by this time had been given copper sheathing to protect them from marine growth , fouling , and saltwater corrosion, dramatically improving speed and overall sailing performance in good wind. The British flagship was HMS Formidable under Admiral Rodney. Second in command was Admiral Samuel Hood . and third was Vice Admiral Francis Samuel Drake . As

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6138-467: The line" was born here, it is logically of mixed blessings, since in breaking the enemy line, one breaks one's own line. Whilst the movement has the advantage that guns can be fired on both port and starboard sides, it also exposes the ship to attack on both sides. The advantage in this instance was that many of the French gunners left their post, in fear of Formidable' s three tiers of guns bearing down on them. Diadem appears to have fully withdrawn from

6237-511: The loss of several islands. They joined 24 ships on St. Lucia who had already seen action against the French and were undergoing repairs. The French had allies in the Spanish, who had 13 ships of the line at Cap‑Français on the island of San Domingo (Hispaniola). Together with transport ships, the Spanish had a considerable force of 24,000 men. They awaited the arrival of a further 10,000 French troops dispatched from Brest , under escort of five men-of-war, to further boost their strength. The plan

6336-473: The main fleet, which lay in the lee of Dominica. De Grasse saw the opportunity to cripple this advanced section and wheeled to begin the first attack. On 9 April 1782 the copper-sheathed British fleet caught up with the French, who were surprised by their speed. Admiral de Grasse ordered the French convoy to head into Guadeloupe for repair, forcing him to escort two 50-gun ships ( Fier and Experiment ), and placing his fleet in line of battle in order to cover

6435-483: The mainland, all the way north to Alaska. Most of this work was in small craft propelled by both sail and oar; manoeuvring larger sail-powered vessels in uncharted waters was generally impractical and dangerous. Vancouver named many features for his officers, friends, associates, and his ship Discovery , including: After a Spanish expedition in 1791, Vancouver was the second European to enter Burrard Inlet on 13 June 1792, naming it for his friend Sir Harry Burrard . It

6534-502: The marines, was sent to join a towing cable to the heavily crippled Glorieux . Souverain moved alongside to provide covering fire. However, the British, with both wind and cannon-power in their favour, moved a number of ships up to block this movement. The captain of Glorieux was already dead, and the ship was now under command of the senior officer remaining, Lieutenant Trogoff de Kerlessi. Souverain and Richmond retreated under heavy fire, and Kerlessi had little choice but to tear

6633-455: The men-of-war, heading for St. Pierre . Just past 4:00 pm Hood's Barfleur , at the head of the British fleet, espied five sails ahead that she presumed to be part of the French fleet. These came into view of Formidable around two hours later, just before sunset. They pursued the French through the night. At 2:00 am on 9 April, HMS St Albans dropped alongside Formidable , reporting that along with HMS Valiant , she had located

6732-409: The name Vancouver suggests, the Vancouvers were of Dutch origin. They were descended from the titled van Coeverden family, one of the oldest in the Netherlands. By the twelfth century, and for many years thereafter, their castle at Coevorden , in the Province of Drenthe , was an important fortress on the eastern frontier. George Vancouver was aware of this. In July 1794, he named the Lynn Canal "after

6831-470: The only object of pursuit; and whether this be acquired by fair and honourable means, or otherwise, so long as the advantage is secured, the manner how it is obtained seems to have been, with too many of them, but a very secondary consideration. Robin Fisher notes that Vancouver's "relationships with aboriginal groups were generally peaceful; indeed, his detailed survey would not have been possible if they had been hostile." While there were hostile incidents at

6930-655: The pair. These movements were executed without any physical attacks. On 12 April the French were ranged from six to 12 miles distant and were not in formation, as the two fleets manoeuvred between the northern end of Dominica and the Saintes in the Saintes Passage. The unfortunate Zélé had had a second collision during the night with one of its rescuers, Ville de Paris , and was now being towed to Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe by Astrée with General de Bouillé on board. They were chased by four British ships: Monarch , Valiant , HMS Centaur and HMS Belliqueux . De Grasse made for Guadeloupe and bore up with his fleet to protect

7029-582: The place of my nativity" and Point Couverden (which he spelt incorrectly) "after the seat of my ancestors". Vancouver's great grandfather, Reint Wolter van Couverden, was probably the first of the line to establish an English connection. While serving as a squire at one of the German courts he met Johanna (Jane) Lilingston, an English girl who was one of the ladies in waiting. They were married in 1699. Their son, Lucas Hendrik van Couverden, married Vancouver's grandmother, Sarah. In his later years he probably anglicized his name and spent most of his time in England. By

7128-447: The press. Thomas Pitt took a more direct approach; on 29 August 1796 he sent Vancouver a letter heaping many insults on the head of his former captain, and challenging him to a duel. Vancouver gravely replied that he was unable "in a private capacity to answer for his public conduct in his official duty," and offered instead to submit to formal examination by flag officers . Pitt chose instead to stalk Vancouver, ultimately assaulting him on

7227-402: The rear red squadron, HMS Prince William and Magnificent , had somehow passed Bedford , who was now third in line within the red squadron and completely detached from her own white squadron. The whole red squadron then passed between César and Hector , causing each to be crippled. The final ship of the red squadron, HMS Royal Oak , passed the stern of César and delivered a final blow

7326-446: The region's most important harbour, on contemporary Vancouver Island. Here he was to receive any British buildings and lands returned by the Spanish from claims by Francisco de Eliza for the Spanish crown . The Spanish commander, Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra , was very cordial and he and Vancouver exchanged the maps they had made, but no agreement was reached; they decided to await further instructions. At this time, they decided to name

7425-434: The retreat. Hood's section of the fleet, headed by Barfleur , braced for the first attack. As the first action, HMS Alfred taunted the 18 approaching French ships under de Vaudreuil by exposing her broadside to the approaching French, but without consequence. The British patiently awaited the formal signal from Rodney on Formidable , some six miles behind, and eventually received a red flag signal telling them to "engage

7524-418: The risk of Britain herself, and this was the strategy implemented in 1779. Sugar made up 20% of all British imports and was worth five times as much as tobacco. The French and Spanish were fighting to take over Jamaica in order to expel the British from the West Indies, and to strike a massive blow against the British economy. The courts at Paris and Madrid perceived the invasion of Jamaica as an alternative to

7623-453: The ship. At the same time, Rodney recalled his chasing ships and made the signal for line of battle. Rear Admiral Hood's van division were still making repairs from the action three days earlier, so he directed his rear division, under Rear Admiral Drake, to take the lead. At 7:40, HMS  Marlborough under Captain Taylor Penny led the British line and opened battle when she approached

7722-409: The smoke and approached Ville de Paris at 8:40 am. The countermovement of the fleets brought a series of ships opposite Formidable in sequence behind Ville de Paris , movements that brought about a different pairing of enemies every five minutes. Next was Couronne , followed by Éveillé under Le Gardeur de Tilly, and then Sceptre under the command of de Vaudreuil. Within an hour,

7821-422: The smoke, Commodore Edmund Affleck on Bedford , the hindmost ship of the central white squadron, accidentally sailed through the confused French line, between César and Hector , only to discover this error when no enemy lay on his starboard side in the clearing smoke. Bedford was followed by Hood's red squadron and this broke the French line into three sections. In the confusion the two leading ships of

7920-482: The traders from the civilised world have not only pursued a line of conduct, diametrically opposite to the true principles of justice in their commercial dealings, but have fomented discords, and stirred up contentions, between the different tribes, in order to increase the demand for these destructive engines... They have been likewise eager to instruct the natives in the use of European arms of all descriptions; and have shewn by their own example, that they consider gain as

8019-416: The uncontrollable speed of the mastless Glorieux . Formidable turned to starboard and brought her port guns to bear on them. As a result, Formidable sailed through the gap, breaking the French line. This breach was further followed through by five other British ships. The breach was later recorded by Charles Dashwood , who was a midshipman on Formidable on that day. Although the concept of "breaking

8118-461: The wind had shifted to the south, forcing the French line to separate and bear to the west, as it could not hold its course into the wind. This allowed the British to use guns on both sides of their ships without fear of return fire from the front and rear of the French ships, between which they were passing. The effect was greater using the carronades, with which the British had just equipped nearly half their fleet. This relatively new short-range weapon

8217-538: The winter in continuing exploration of the Sandwich Islands , the contemporary name of the islands of Hawaii. The next year, 1793, he returned to British Columbia and proceeded further north, unknowingly missing the overland explorer Alexander Mackenzie by only 48 days. He got to 56°30'N, having explored north from Point Menzies in Burke Channel to the northwest coast of Prince of Wales Island . He sailed around

8316-615: Was "mortified" ( his word ) to learn they already had a crude chart of the Strait of Georgia based on the 1791 exploratory voyage of José María Narváez the year before, under command of Francisco de Eliza . For three weeks they cooperatively explored the Georgia Strait and the Discovery Islands area before sailing separately towards Nootka Sound . After the summer surveying season ended, in August 1792, Vancouver went to Nootka, then

8415-464: Was appointed as Rodney's aide-de-camp shortly before the battle. A lookout squadron, a line of frigates headed by Captain George Anson Byron on HMS Andromache , reported all of de Grasse's movements at Fort Royal. This squadron included the speedy HMS Agamemnon and also HMS Magnificent . On 3 April it was signalled that the repairs on the French fleet were complete. On 5 April it

8514-594: Was born on 22 June 1757 in the seaport town of King's Lynn in Norfolk , England, the sixth and youngest child of John Jasper Vancouver, a Dutch -born deputy collector of customs, and Bridget Berners. The surname Vancouver comes from Coevorden , Drenthe province, Netherlands (Koevern in Dutch Low Saxon ). In 1771, at age 13, Vancouver entered the Royal Navy as a "young gentleman", a future candidate for midshipman . He

8613-599: Was considered their greatest over the French during the American Revolutionary War . The British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse , forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned invasion of Jamaica . The battle is named after the Îles des Saintes , a group of small islands between Guadeloupe and Dominica in the West Indies . The French had blockaded

8712-417: Was flanked by HMS Belliqueux and HMS Prince William and soon surrendered. They then took possession of Glorieux and caught up with the French rear at around 3pm. Admiral de Grasse signalled other ships to protect Ville de Paris , but this was only partially fulfilled. Nine ships from de Vaudreuil's squadron came to his aid. The British fleet bore down on this small group. In succession Rodney's ships isolated

8811-489: Was for Grasse's fleet, with at least 5,000 further troops, to unite with the Spanish at Cap‑Français, and from there to attack and capture the island of Jamaica with their conjoined armada of some 60 ships and 40,000 troops. Rodney had been in communication with de Grasse during March, organising the exchange of prisoners, who were conveyed by HMS Alert under Captain Vashon. The two officers had much mutual respect. Rodney's task

8910-688: Was in command of the first 12 vessels, and was followed by Prince George under Captain Williams. Then came the 100-year-old HMS Torbay under Captain Keppel and the year-old HMS Anson under Captain William Blair on the main deck, who was struck by round shot at waist level and sliced in two. The blue squadron was then completed by HMS Fame and HMS Russell under Captain James Saumarez . The white squadron under Rodney followed in exact formation after

9009-429: Was in the centre of the British line, it took her almost an hour to reach the centre of the action. All ships had to maintain a steady speed, and as she passed de Grasse's flagship, the 104-gun Ville de Paris , the two met for the first time. Ville de Paris was already damaged by the 15 ships ahead of Formidable in the line. Although it was a sunny day, the smoke of the battle was like a dense fog. Formidable entered

9108-411: Was nominally an able seaman (AB) but, in reality, sailed as one of the midshipmen aboard HMS  Resolution , on James Cook 's second voyage (1772–1775) searching for Terra Australis . He also sailed with Cook's third voyage (1776–1780), this time aboard Resolution ' s companion ship, HMS  Discovery  (1774) , and was present during the first European sighting and exploration of

9207-400: Was quicker to reload and more of them could be carried. Glorieux , under command of Captain des Cars, moving in the wake of Ville de Paris , was the next victim. Virtually a sitting duck due to damage in the previous 10 minutes from Duke , she was quickly pounded and dismasted by intense fire. In the confusion four French ships beginning with Diadem broke out of sequence, partly due to

9306-642: Was renamed The Voyage of George Vancouver 1791–1795 , and published in four volumes by the Hakluyt Society of London, England. Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique ), also known as the Battle of Dominica , was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The British victory

9405-402: Was reported that the French troops were boarding the ships. At 8:00 am on Sunday 8 April, it was reported that the French fleet were leaving Fort Royal. Rodney's fleet called all men to join their ships and they began leaving Gros Islet Bay at 10:30 am. The total French armada comprised 35 ships of the line, 10 frigates, and over 100 smaller ships. The smaller ships moved in advance of

9504-447: Was seriously wounded in the first five minutes. Command then fell to his Captain Paul. With their formation shattered and many of their ships severely damaged, the French fell away to the southwest in small groups. Rodney attempted to redeploy and make repairs before pursuing the French. By 2:00 pm the wind had freshened and a general chase ensued. As the British pressed south, Ardent

9603-759: Was the convention of the day, the fleet was split into three sections: Rodney had individual control as Admiral of the White of 12 ships flying the White Ensign ; Drake had command of 12 ships as Admiral of the Blue flying the Blue Ensign ; and Hood was Admiral of the Red with 12 ships flying the Red Ensign . Formidable was accompanied by three 98-gun ships: HMS Barfleur (commanded by Hood), HMS Prince George , and HMS Duke , plus

9702-482: Was then used by historian W. Kaye Lamb in his book A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World, 1791–1795 (1984). W. Kaye Lamb, in summarising Mansvelt's 1973 research, observes evidence of close family ties between the Vancouver family of Britain and the Van Coeverden family of the Netherlands as well as George Vancouver's own words from his diaries in referring to his Dutch ancestry: As

9801-482: Was to intercept the French fleet en route to Cap‑Français. Grasse's vice admiral at the time was Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil . Third in command was Louis Antoine de Bougainville . The French flagship was the huge 104-gun Ville de Paris . The troops were under the command of the Marquis de Bouillé . The French fleet was also split into three squadrons: Grasse led the "Cornette Blanche;" Bougainville led

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