Captain James Cook and the HMS Discovery

There was no British ship named the "Discovery Australia." However, the HMS Discovery played a famous role in exploration. It was commanded by Captain James Cook during his third voyage (1776–1780), with Charles Clerke as first lieutenant. Cook used the Discovery, alongside the HMS Resolution, to explore the Pacific, including the Hawaiian Islands (where he was killed) and the northwest coast of North America. The ship itself did not "discover Australia"—that had been done by Dutch explorers and Cook himself on his first voyage (1770) aboard the HMS Endeavour.