Vancouver, George

(born June 22, 1757, King's Lynn, Norfolk, Eng.—died May 10, 1798, Richmond, Surrey) English navigator. He entered the Royal Navy at age 13 and sailed with James Cook on his second and third voyages (1772–75, 1776–79) to the Pacific. In 1791 he commanded an expedition that explored the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii before reaching the Pacific coast of North America in 1792; over the next two years he meticulously mapped a major portion of the coast. His maps and a lengthy account of his voyages were published in 1798.

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