20f value of New Caledonia, depicts Captain Cook, and his ship Resolution, flagship of his second and third voyages. She was a sloop of 462 tons builders' measurement, 111 ft. long, with a beam of 301/2 ft and was fitted with twelve 6-pdr. guns.
She had been built as the collier Marquis of Granby, by Fishburn, at Whitby, in 1769, for Capt. William Hammond. When taken over by the Navy in 1770 for use as a discovery vessel, she was given the name Drake, but as it was thought that this might offend Spanish susceptibilities her name was changed to Resolution.
With a smaller consort named Adventure, of which the combined crews numbered 193 men, she set sail for the great Southern continent, leaving Plymouth on July 13, 1772. They touched at Madeira and the Cape of Good Hope and explored the specified latitude.
Cook made the first crossing of the Antarctic Circle on January 16, 1773 but was driven North and after wintering in the Society Islands, he made further explorations Eastwards and turning Northwards navigated the South tropic from Easter Island to the New Hebrides and discovered the island which he. named New Caledonia. This is the voyage the stamp commemorates. After the voyage the Resolution was convened to an armed transport and was captured by the French Sphinx on June 9, 1782, in the East Indies. SG539