Richard Rollett, Master Sailmaker of H.M.S.
Resolution
Andrew Hill was on H.M.S. Adventure
Rollett sailed with Cook on H.M.S. Resolution on her second voyage
round the world and died on January 20th 1824 and was buried at All
Saints Church at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.
Cook's Third Voyage 1776 -1780
H.M.S. Resolution: William Widdall; HMS Discovery
William Hillsey
The inscription reads
TO THE MEMORY OF
RICHARD ROLLETT
FORMERLY MASTER SAILMAKER
OF H.M.S. RESOLUTION
CAPT. JAMES COOK IN HER
2nd Voyage ROUND THE WORLD
DIED 20TH JANUARY 1824 (Source:
Captain Cook Society)
2. You are to read an
account of Captain Cook's cook from
Trove
(below), published in 1929! Note the mention of John Ravenhill.
National Library of Australia: Trove: The World's News Wednesday 30 January
1929
3. Using this newspaper
article as inspiration, you are to write a similar story about John
Ravenhill, sailmaker. You might also mention
the
relationship with John Thurmund, the Sailmaker's Mate;
the number of
sails used on the ship
the use of beeswax on the thread;
the equipment
used by these sailmakers: the fid [A fid is a conical
tool traditionally made of wood or bone. It is used to work with rope
and canvas]; Sewing Palm [A variation on the
thimble used by sailmakers and leather workers]; and sailmaker's
needles.
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
1. You are to
conduct a Science experiment.
Discuss as a class: Why is
maintenance so important on a ship? What effect does the wind, sun and salt
water have on timber, cloth (sails), iron and rope?
Experiment:
Materials:
Two pieces
of sail cloth (canvas), and
rope (made of hemp).
Salt water
Beeswax
A very sunny spot in the
school grounds
Procedure:
1. Write a description of the canvas and rope to establish its initial
condition.
2. Divide the rope
into three pieces. On one piece, rub in beeswax until it is absorbed and
experiment with the salt water [see below]. Experiment with the salt water with another plain piece
of rope - no beeswax. Keep the third piece of rope to compare at the end.
3. Soak the canvas and the two
pieces ropes[one
beeswax and one plain rope] in salt water for a few hours.
Have
different quantities of salt in the water -
a. one
cup of salt per 10 litres water;
b. one
cup of salt per 5 litres water; and,
one cup
of salt per 1 litre.
Remember to
keep a piece of the original canvas and rope to compare at the end of the
experiment.
4. Lay it out
in the sun all day.
5. Repeat each day for two weeks.
6. At the end of two weeks compare their condition
to the original condition of the canvas and rope.
7. If there is no change repeat steps 2 to 4 until
change is noted.
8. Collect
samples of the canvas and ropes and create slides to use under a microscope.
Make drawings of what you see and note the differences between samples.
Optional extra experiment. The effect of wind and sun on the canvas
and rope.
A. Have another piece of canvas and rope and in addition to soaking in salt
water for 2 hours, also, have these pieces of canvas and rope subjected to
the flow of air in the form of a fan for 2 hours.
B. At the end
of two weeks compare and contrast the pieces of canvas and rope.
9. Write a scientific report on the experiment
using the following headings:
Introduction
Method
Results
[remember to graph these results]
10. Discuss the following question:
"Would Endeavour have been more difficult to repair and
maintain than a modern ship?
Why? Why not?""
Other Activities within the ANMM Educational
Resource
Life aboard Ship:
a. The Crew - who was aboard Endeavour? Mix and match activity.
b. A Day in the Life of a Cabin Boy
c. Indigenous dance and art
d. Bells and the watch - your day by bells
e. Passing the time: Complete the poem - The Sailor's Alphabet
f. Make your own ditty bag and scrimshaw
g. Specimen pressing - make a wall chart
h. Make your own hard tack [ship's biscuit]
i. Tying knots
j. Research the crew
k. Make a card game