Monogram of George II cast from a piece of ENDEAVOUR ballast
DateLate 20th century
Object number00029119
NameCast
MediumIron
DimensionsOverall: 105 x 314 x 228 mm, 4 kg
ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts
Credit LineANMM Collection Transfer from the Department of Transport and Communications
DescriptionA cast featuring the cipher of King George II surmounted by a crown. This cast was made from a mould taken from one of the cannons on HMB ENDEAVOUR.
To the right of the cast there is a label reading "This casting of the monogram was made from one of the cast iron ingots carried as ballast and jettisoned on Endeavour reef".
On 10 June 1770 HMB ENDEAVOUR ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. In order to lighten the vessel, the crew threw stores, ballast and cannons overboard. ENDEAVOUR was eventually kedged off the reef by the use of five
anchors, one of which became stuck in the coral and was abandoned.
In 1969 an American expedition sponsored by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences recovered the cannon and a number of other artefacts. An Australian team recovered the anchor in 1971.HistoryThe presence of the cypher of King George II indicates that the cannon used in this cast was made berore 1760. All the cannons retrieved from the ENDEAVOUR have the British Crown property 'Broad Arrow' chiselled on the barrel.
Space and weight were always important issues for Cook as he attempted to strike a compromise between the necessity of carrying sufficient supplies for long voyages and maintaining the good sailing qualities of his ships. On the HMB ENDEAVOUR voyage Cook reduced the amount of iron ballast carried in the bottom of the ship, arguing that the weight of stores more than compensated for the reduction. As the stores diminished during the voyage, the HMB ENDEAVOUR’s stability was maintained by bringing aboard stone ballast.
On 10 June 1770 during Captain James Cook's first journey to the Pacific aboard HMB ENDEAVOUR, the ship ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. In order to lighten the vessel the crew threw stores, ballast and cannons overboard. In total, approximately 48 ton of material was discarded and HMB ENDEAVOUR was eventually kedged off the reef by the use of five anchors, one of which became stuck in the coral and was abandoned.
The vessel was then taken to the mouth of a nearby river where for seven weeks repairs were carried out and the ENDEAVOUR made sea worthy again. This river is now known as Endeavour River and became the location where extended contact was made with the Indigenous Australians of the region, the Guugu Yimithirr, and the Europeans were able to spend time studying the local flora and fauna.
In 1969 an American expedition sponsored by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences recovered the cannon and a number of other artefacts. An Australian team recovered the ship's anchor in 1971.
SignificanceThe significance of the HMB ENDEAVOUR relics is recognized as representing some of the first physical links between Australia and Britain. They also represent a critical moment in the ENDEAVOUR voyage when the destruction of the ship was a very real possibility.
