James Cook

"Well, sir, he's very intelligent and ambitious. His knowledge of seamanship is second-to-none! And if I trust my favourite barmaid in Halifax, he also just became captain of his own man-o-war. He's also an expert at deciphering secret codes... A man with such a skill is certainly an asset to our cause."

- Christopher Gist describing Cook to Shay Cormac, 1758.

James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, cartographer, the captain of the Royal Navy Man O' War, HMS Pembroke, and an unwitting ally of the Templar Order; he unknowingly helped the Templars during the Seven Years' War. Despite working with the Templars, Cook was unaware of the Order's existence as they believed recruiting him would be too risky, due to what Gist described as his "annoying habit of strict honesty and a total lack of anything resembling guile". Cook eventually began to suspect that Shay and Gist were part of a larger group, however, he simply believed they received orders from the King, rather than a secret organization.

He sailed on the Pacific Ocean from as early as 1770, roughly knowing the locations of its islands from Dutch, French and Portuguese navigators, first dated from the early 16th century onward.

Captain Cook later became famous for his voyages and exploration of the Pacific, where he explored and charted most of the islands and their populations, including Australia, Tahiti, New Zealand, Easter Island and Hawaii – the latter where he was killed by the natives. Such was his legacy that Cook's image became deified on certain islands, including Hawaii itself.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed: Rogue