He later converted to Roman Catholicism and was a devout Christian.īorn in 1747, John Paul Jones was actually surnamed MacDuff (now, there's a lost opportunity - he could have heard his men shout "Lay on, MacDuff!") and was apprenticed to a merchant seaman when he was young. He even insisted that Obi Wan be killed off so that he would never have to play him again! Guinness served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and at one time was seriously considering entering the Anglican priesthood. Younger filmgoers discovered Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi in the first 'Star Wars' movie, a part which he thoroughly disliked. While 'The Captain's Paradise', which had him playing a sea captain with a wife in both ports at either end of his Mediterranean ferry run, was not a great film, Guinness' understated comedic skill shines nonetheless. While Sir Alec Guinness is better known for his stage career, particularly excelling in Shakespearean roles, and for straight roles in films ('The Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Tunes of Glory', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'The Horse's Mouth', among others), the Oscar-winning actor's early film career included such comedic gems as 'The Lavender Hill Mob', 'The Ladykillers' (so much better than the recent remake with Tom Hanks), and 'The Man in the White Suit'. Either way, Vancouver's family was evidently of Dutch origin. Van Coewen, on the other hand, is a common Dutch surname. Both are of Dutch origin, the former meaning 'of Coevorden', which is a village in the Netherlands from which a group of businessmen emigrated to England in the early 18th century. Interesting sidebar: The name Vancouver is derived from either van Coevorden or from van Couwen. His great success was not proof against political shenanigans, however, and his career ended in obscurity after he ran afoul of his superiors at the Admiralty over a disciplinary action taken against a junior officer who had some highly-placed connections in British society (even then, it seems, it isn't what you know but who that will get you places!) His name lives on in Vancouver Island, Vancouver, B.C., and Vancouver, Washington. It was from Cook that he learned cartography skills, which he later put to good use in his explorations of the Pacific Northwest. Bligh was Cook's shipmaster and Vancouver was one of Cook's midshipmen early in his career.Īs a midshipman, Vancouver served under Captain James Cook on his third Pacific expedition. Interesting sidebar: both the infamous Captain Bligh and the intrepid Captain George Vancouver served under Cook. ![]() Cook made three voyages, and charted much of the Pacific Northwest, and Australia and New Zealand, along with the Philippine archipelago and what is now the Hawaiian archipelago (he named the latter the Sandwich Islands). Eventually, the Admiralty entrusted him with expeditions of exploration in the Pacific, with the rank of Commander (actually that's Master and Commander - what, you thought Russell Crowe was the only Master and Commander?). In 1760, he produced the first accurate charts of Newfoundland and the surrounding waters. He rose quickly through the ranks in the Royal Navy, largely because of his cartographic and surveying skills and his capable leadership qualities. Cook started his sea-going career after life as an apprentice in the grocery/haberdashery trade palled. ![]() It isn't his cartographic abilities that have made this captain famous, although they were useful on his exploratory expeditions in the south Pacific.
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