Stepping ashore on Tahiti on 25 June 1767, Tobias Furneaux became the first European to set foot on the island while serving as second lieutenant aboard HMS Dolphin. This act of formal possession, performed during a voyage around the globe, marked the beginning of a maritime career that encompassed circumnavigation, scientific exploration, and naval combat during the American War of Independence.
Early Maritime Service
Born in 1735 in Plymouth, Furneaux entered the Royal Navy and gained experience in the West Indies and along the African and French coasts during the Seven Years' War. His service with Captain Samuel Wallis between 1766 and 1768 provided him with essential experience in long-range oceanic navigation, setting the stage for his subsequent involvement in the expansive British exploration efforts in the Pacific.
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In 1771, Furneaux took command of HMS Adventure to accompany James Cook’s second major expedition. During the mission, his vessel was twice separated from Cook's ship. During the first separation in 1773, Furneaux mapped large sections of the coast of Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania. Although he misidentified several geographical features, such as mistaking the D'Entrecasteaux Channel for Storm Bay, his charts provided a vital early European delineation of the region.
The Grass Cove Incident
While awaiting Cook at Ship Cove in New Zealand in December 1773, a landing party of ten men sent to gather supplies vanished. A search party subsequently discovered human remains at Grass Cove, including identifiable items belonging to the crew and the head of Furneaux’s servant, James Swilley. Faced with evidence of potential cannibalism and gathered Māori groups, Furneaux declined to retaliate and departed the area to eventually return to Portsmouth in 1774.
Wartime Command and Final Years
Promoted to captain in 1775, Furneaux took command of HMS Syren during the American War of Independence. He participated in the British assault on Charleston in 1776, but his career concluded abruptly when his ship wrecked near Point Judith, Rhode Island, on 6 November 1777. Following his capture and time as a prisoner in Providence, he returned to Plymouth, where he died unmarried in 1781.
Fast facts
- Born: 1735, Plymouth
- Died: 1781, Plymouth
- Rank: Captain
- Expedition: Second voyage with James Cook
- Notable passenger: Omai of Raiatea
- Final command: HMS Syren
- Burial site: Stoke Damerel Church
- Eponymous species: Scorpaenopsis furneauxi
Questions readers ask
Did Furneaux complete a circumnavigation?
Yes, he was among the first men to circumnavigate the globe in both directions.
What became of the crew members lost at Grass Cove?
They were killed and their remains were found by a search party, showing evidence of having been cooked.
Achievements
- Recorded as explorer, naturalist and seafarer
