Biography
He was the son of a Customs officer.
He was a Master Mariner in the merchant service beore joinng the Royal Navy.
Military Service
He joined the Royal Navy in 1772 under Captain James Cook on Cook's Second Voyage 1772 in H.M.S. Resolution.
In 1772 he was appointed as a Midshipman RN.
He accompanied Cook again on his his Third Voyage in 1776 as a Midshipman in H.M.S. Discovery.
He was appointed as a Lieutenant RN (With seniority dated 19/10/1780.
He joined H.M.S. Martin in 1780 serving in the North Sea and in the Caribbean.
He served in the West Indies in the Battle of the Saintes in 1782.
He later served in H.M.S. Fame and H.M.S. Europa.
In 1791 he was appointed to command an expedition of HMCS Discovery on the northwest coast of America serving in H.M.S. Discovery accompanied by H.M.S. Chatham.
He was appointed as a Captain RN (With seniority dated 28/08/1794) (while surveying the coast of Vancouver Island). On this voyage they named Puget Sound and surveyed arge sections of the northwest coast.
They arrived home in 1795.
Named Features
Vancouver Island (BC), City of Vancouver (BC), Vancouver Bay (BC)
References
- Walbran, Captain John T. (1909)
- Dunmore, John (1991)
- Mathias, Guy (personal e-mail communication with John MacFarlane, Vancouver BC) 22 January 2004
