Endeavour Strait
Located in the extreme south of the Torres Strait between the Australian mainland (Cape York Peninsula) and Prince of Wales Island/Muralug, the 48-kilometre Endeavour Strait is named after James Cook's vessel, which used the passage to enter the Arafura Sea in August 1770.
The strait's width varies between 3.2 and 9.7 kilometres, and its average depth is between 13 and 15 metres. Its sandy floor and moderately thick layer of coral, without underwater obstacles or foul ground, make it generally safe to pass through. However, depths around 5.5 metres at its western end pose some difficulties for larger vessels.
The shallows at the strait's western end accounted for the cutter America in November 1844. The sole survivor of the wreck, 13-year-old Scottish girl Barbara Thompson, lived among the Kuareg people until HMS Rattlesnake rescued her in October 1849.
Links to add:
Prince of Wales Island/Muralug
Barbara Thompson
Kuareg people
HMS Rattlesnake
