What happened on James Cook's second voyage to Antarctica?

From 1772 to 1775, James Cook led a British expedition aboard the ships Resolution and Adventure to circumnavigate the globe as far south as possible. Commissioned to determine whether a great southern landmass known as Terra Australis existed, Cook made history by crossing the Antarctic Circle. Ultimately, he proved that the hypothetical continent was a myth in temperate latitudes, while successfully testing the Larcum Kendall K1 chronometer to calculate longitude.

What we know

• The second voyage of James Cook took place from 1772 to 1775 and was commissioned by the British government with advice from the Royal Society. [1, 2]
• On 17 January 1773, the Resolution became the first ship to venture south of the Antarctic Circle. [2]
• Cook's final crossing of the Antarctic Circle on 3 February 1774 reached the most southerly penetration at latitude 71°10′ South and longitude 106°54′ West. [2]
• William Wales successfully employed the Larcum Kendall K1 chronometer during the voyage to calculate longitude. [2]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat caused the delay in setting sail for the second voyage?
• a case in pointWhich islands did Cook visit and name during his second voyage?
• compared withHow did the first voyage of James Cook differ in its goals?
• whoWhat was the role of William Wales on the expedition?
• the bigger pictureWhat happened during James Cook's third voyage?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a chronometer test help disprove a centuries-old geographic myth?Precise longitude tracking enabled by the K1 chronometer allowed Cook to conduct vast, accurate sweeps across the Pacific that decisively disproved the existence of Terra Australis.

Sources

• [1]second voyage of James Cook (Wikidata Q2881842) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Second voyage of James Cook · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Voyage of James Cook · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]First voyage of James Cook · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Third voyage of James Cook · CC BY-SA 4.0