Zachary Hicks
| Zachary Hickes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1739 Stepney, England |
| Died | May 1771 (aged 31–32) St Helena |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain British Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1766–1771 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Commands held | Second-in-command, HMS Endeavour 1768–1771 |
Zachary Hickes (1739 – 25 May 1771) was a Royal Navy officer, second-in-command on Lieutenant James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific and the first among Cook's crew to sight mainland Australia. A dependable officer who had risen swiftly through the ranks, Hickes conducted liaison and military duties for Cook including command of shore parties in Rio de Janeiro and the kidnapping of a Tahitian chieftain in order to force indigenous assistance in the recovery of deserters. Hickes' quick thinking while in temporary command of HMS Endeavour also saved the lives of Cook, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander when they were attacked by Māoris in New Zealand in November 1769.
Yet despite his vigorous service Hickes was dogged by ill health, which worsened as the voyage progressed. He died in May 1771 of a consumptive illness likely contracted before sailing from England, and his remains were buried at sea off the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. New Zealand's Hicks Bay and eastern Australia's Point Hicks are named in his honour.
Hickes was born in Stepney in 1739. He enlisted or was pressed into military service at Ripon and first appears in navy muster-books as serving as able seaman and master's mate aboard HMS Launceston from 1766. A skilled seaman, he was promoted to midshipman aboard the sloop HMS Hornet in August 1767, and to acting lieutenant on the same vessel in March 1768. His officer's commission was formalised on 26 May 1767 with a transfer to James Cook's HMS Endeavour as second lieutenant and second-in-command. He formally joined the ship on 3 June.
Hickes' early months aboard Endeavour were uneventful. He is not mentioned in the journals of either Cook or the Royal Society supernumeraries Joseph Banks or Sydney Parkinson until Endeavour reached the Portuguese port of Rio de Janeiro on 13 November 1768. There Hickes was given his first specific duties by Cook: to put ashore in command of the ship's pinnace, to make contact with local authorities and to seek permission to replenish the ship's supplies. The engagement did not go well, as the Portuguese Viceroy Antônio Rolim de Moura refused to believe that Endeavour was on a scientific mission. Instead, Hickes and master's mate Charles Clerke were detained on shore while answers were sought from Cook regarding his vessel, armaments and umber of crew. The pinnace was returned to Endeavour' without Hickes, and he and Clerke were only permitted to return to their ship after some hours delay.
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