1. George Vancouver came from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. He joined the navy when he was 14 years old. He was the youngest. They called him a “young gentleman”. When George Vancouver was sailing, he proved that Vancouver Island was really an island. He spent almost ten years on his fighting ships in the Caribbean. Then he mapped the west coast of America from North of Mexico to south of Alaska.

2. When Captain George Vancouver was 14 years old, he learned how to read French. But then Vancouver left the school and joined Captain James Cook to learn how to sail and how to become a seaman. Cook trained him to do these things. He learned mapping skills from William Wales. They were looking for the Northwest Passage. When Cook died, in 1780, Vancouver returned to London. In 1772, Vancouver joined the British Royal Navy. He spent a year sailing in the English Channel and the North Sea. Then he set sail for the West Indies. He arrived in the Caribbean in 1782. Nine years later, Britain sent him to control land in the Nootka Sound area and look for the Northwest Passage. He also drew maps about the northwest coast of America. This voyage took four years, from 1791- 1795.

3. In the 1790’s, Vancouver led the British naval expedition to the Pacific Ocean to the North West coast of North America. He left Britain in April 1791. He came back in September of 1795. During these four years he sailed with his two ships, the Discovery and Chatham, to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and up the coast of the U.S. Vancouver spent the winter in Hawaii where the temperature was really warm. During his stay he made good friends with Kamehameha, the king of all of the Hawaiian Islands. The friendship with the Hawaiians meant peace between the Hawaiians and the British. Captain George Vancouver was very sick. It was very difficult for him to return to the Britain. Before he died he was writing about his voyage, but he was really ill and he had died before it was published. Captain George Vancouver died May 10, 1798. He was only 40 years old when he died.