On April 1, 1791 the Admiralty sent the sloop of war, H.M.S DISCOVERY , and brig, H.M.S. CHATHAM on a second voyage of scientific discovery to the Hawaiian Islands to continue the work James Cook’s Third expedition had started. George Vancouver had served under James Cook and was selected to command the DISCOVERY with a crew of 100. Accompanying him was Captain Boughton, commanding a crew of only 45 men on the CHATHAM.
The DISCOVERY sighted the island of Hawaii on March 1, 1792 . George Vancouver‘s expedition completed the mapping and charting of the Hawaiian Islands so meticulously that it would be 80 years before a similar survey was made. The brig H.M.S. Chatham, heavily overloaded, lagged behind and got separated from DISCOVERY off Hawaii. Thinking that they would find the DISCOVERY off Maui, Broughton sailed up the west coast of Maui and past the highest sea cliffs in the world along the coast of Molokai. These sea cliffs ascend almost vertically to amazing heights (3000 ft.) and the waterfalls seem to come from the clouds. In the painting the Chatham is standing out to sea so as to clear Kalaupapa Peninsula.