William Dampier

William Dampier was an English explorer, navigator, and naturalist whose late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century voyages documented Pacific islands and the Australian coast.

New Holland: New Holland was the name Europeans used for the Australian continent before the name Australia became widespread. Dampier described parts of its western coast during voyages in 1688 and 1699.
Navigation: Navigation is the practice of determining and directing a vessel's position and course. Dampier's voyages depended on practical route-finding across poorly charted waters.
Bartholomew Sharp: Bartholomew Sharp was an English buccaneer active in the Caribbean and Pacific during the late seventeenth century. Dampier joined Sharp's Pacific expedition across the Isthmus of Panama.
A New Voyage Round the World: A New Voyage Round the World is Dampier's 1697 account of his travels with English buccaneers across the Pacific. Its detailed descriptions brought Dampier public attention and prompted official interest in his expertise.
Shark Bay: Shark Bay is a large, shallow bay on the western coast of Australia. Dampier landed there in 1699 and recorded its landscape and wildlife.
Dead reckoning: Dead reckoning estimates a vessel's position from a known starting point, course, speed, and elapsed time. It helped sailors estimate position when landmarks or reliable charts were unavailable.
Woodes Rogers: Woodes Rogers was an English privateer and navigator who led a circumnavigation from 1708 to 1711. Dampier served as pilot on Rogers's expedition aboard the Duke.
HMS Roebuck: HMS Roebuck was the Royal Navy ship used for Dampier's 1699 expedition to Australia and nearby regions. The Admiralty appointed Dampier to command this voyage after his published accounts attracted notice.
King Sound: King Sound is a large inlet on the coast of Western Australia. Dampier explored this coast during his 1688 voyage aboard the Cygnet.
Hydrography: Hydrography is the measurement and description of bodies of water and their navigational features. Dampier's coastal observations supplied details useful to later chartmakers and mariners.

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CatamaranRelated: His account of a Malay double-hulled vessel helped introduce the word “catamaran” to English.