Isaac smith italian bach age

British Royal Navy officer (1752–1831)

Isaac Smith (1752–1831) was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy and cousin of Elizabeth Cook (née Batts) wife of Captain James Cook, with whom he sailed on two voyages of exploration in the South Pacific.

Smith was the first European to set foot in eastern Australia and the first to prepare survey maps of various Pacific islands and coastlines including Tierra del Fuego in South America.

Early life

Smith was born in London in 1752, the eldest of seven children of Charles and Hannah Smith and cousin to James Cook's wife Elizabeth.^[1] He enlisted for naval service in 1767 at the age of thirteen, using his family connections to secure an immediate ranking of able seaman and a position aboard HMS Grenville under Cook's command, for a survey voyage off the west coast of Newfoundland.^[1] On 27 May 1768, and still ranked able seaman, he transferred to his second vessel, Cook's Endeav