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No. Captain Cook was the first European to sight the eastern coast of Australia in 1770, and it was on his recommendation that the continent was colonised.

However, Cook did not accompany the First Fleet as he was killed by Hawaiian natives in 1779, nine years prior to the First Fleet landing at Sydney Cove.

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13y ago
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11y ago

Captain Cook was not the captain of the First Fleet. Captain Arthur Phillip was the captain of the First Fleet.

Captain Cook was the one who first claimed the eastern coast of the Australian continent for Great Britain.

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13y ago

Yes. Captain Arthur Phillip did not actually choose to be captain of the First Fleet. He had been in semi-retirement for several years, occupied as a farmer, but he was keen to be of service in the navy once again. Phillip offered his services and informed the authorities he was prepared to be of service "anywhere in the Empire" - and they took him up on his offer, sending him as Captain of the First Fleet to New South Wales, literally the other side of the world. Here, he became the Governor of the first colony.

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12y ago

Captain James Cook was not directly important to the First Fleet. Captain Cook was the first European to sight the eastern coast of Australia in 1770, and it was on his recommendation that the continent was colonised. Because of Cook's recommendation, the First Fleet sailed with excess convicts from England eighteen years after Cook mapped the eastern coast of Australia.

However, Cook did not accompany the First Fleet as he was killed by Hawaiian natives in 1779, nine years prior to the First Fleet landing at Sydney Cove.

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13y ago

Yes. James Cook was promoted to captain following his significant contribution by claiming the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales, and for his circumnavigation and charting of the islands of New Zealand. During this first voyage of discovery, he was a Lieutenant.

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Q: Was captain James cook captain of the first fleet if not what was he?
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Related questions

Why is captain James Cook remebered?

Captain James Cook is remembered because he discovered Australia on the first fleet


Was Captain Cook alive when Captain Phillip sailed the first fleet?

No. Captain James Cook was killed on 14 February 1779. The First Fleet did not sail until May 1787.


What happened in the First Fleet with Captain James Cook?

Nothing. James Cook was nit on or part of the First Fleet. Cook did not accompany the First Fleet as he was killed by Hawaiian natives in 1779, nine years prior to the First Fleet landing at Sydney Cove. Lieutenant James Cook (not yet a captain) was the first European to sight the eastern coast of Australia in 1770, and it was on his recommendation that the continent was colonised.


Did Captain Cook travel after or before the First Fleet?

All of Captain James Cook's voyages were completed before the First Fleet ever departed Portsmouth, England. Cook died eight years before the First Fleet set sail.


When did Captain James Cook leave England on the First Fleet?

Captain James Cook did not travel on the First Fleet, which was a fleet transporting convicts to Australia in 1788. He set sail from England in 1768 on an expeditionary voyage, making his first landfall in Botany Bay, Australia in 1770.


Was Captain Cook the first settler?

James Cook was not one of the first settlers in Australia. He died nine years before the First Fleet came to Australia.


Did Captain Cook bring horses to Australia?

No. James Cook had no horses aboard the Endeavour. The first horses were brought to Australia with the First Fleet in 1778, 18 years after Cook explored the eastern seaboard.


What is Hawaii's first exploration?

Captain James Cook in 1778.


Who discovered hawii?

The European discovery was by Captain James Cook,


What was Captain Cook's first boat that he sailed?

The first vessel which James Cook commanded was the HM Bark Endeavour. At this stage, James Cook was not yet a captain.


First person to find Hawaii?

That was Captain James Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific Ocean.


How did the first fleet know how to get to Australia?

The captain and crew of the First Fleet's ships had extensive and detailed maps from the various expeditions of Dutch explorers, improved further by the charts of English explorers William Dampier and James Cook.