00:00 The Endeavour is argued to be the most important ship in the history of British exploration.

04:48 The book explores the history of the ship Endeavour and its multiple identities and roles throughout different periods of history.

09:14 The ship Endeavour was made primarily of oak timber, which had different characteristics depending on the type of oak used, and the quality of the wood was crucial in determining the ship's fate during its collision with the Great Barrier Reef.

13:42 The ship Endeavour was built in Whitby, a small isolated place in North Yorkshire, which served as a port and a haven for ships during storms, and the oaks used to build the ship were acorns that were 100 years old at the time of the ship's construction.

18:22 Thomas Milner, the first master of the Endeavour, was an illiterate but highly skilled sailor who never had any significant accidents and ran a tight ship, which was important given the dangerous nature of his job transporting coal to London.

22:41 The Endeavour, a broad, round, sturdy and flat-bottomed boat, was built to last and could be beached for repairs, making it ideal for surveying work and close shore exploration, and in 1769 it transformed from a coal hauling ship to a ship of discovery in order to gather data for the transit of Venus and explore the unknown South Seas.

27:18 Alexander Dalrymple, a young and ambitious member of the Dalrymple family, was a key figure in the exploration and expansion of British commerce in the eastern islands and trade routes, particularly in India, during the crucial years of the Seven Year War.

32:43 Alexander Dalrymple realizes that there is an unexplored land mass in the South Seas and becomes interested in exploring it, while also being involved in the transit Venus project.

37:12 The Royal Society appeals to the king for money to fund the expedition, and with the involvement of the Royal Navy, the Admiralty gets involved and the ship, now known as Endeavour, is purchased.

41:22 The Royal Society and the Admiralty clash over who will have command of the expedition, with Dalrymple being informed that he will only have the scientific end of it, leading him to quit in a bad temper, while Cook, who had been serving in the Royal Navy, is chosen as the commander.

45:52 Cook is chosen as the commander of the expedition and is given the ship Endeavour, while Banks is brought in as another scientist to accompany Cook.