The '''Nonsuch''' was the
ship that sailed into
Hudson Bay in
1668-
1669, in the first trading voyage for what was to become the
Hudson's Bay Company two years later. Originally built as a
merchant ship in
1650, and later the
Royal Navy ketch HMS ''Nonsuch'', the vessel was sold to Sir
William Warren in
1667. The name means "none such", i.e. "unequalled".
The new ''Nonsuch'', a replica of the original, was commissioned by the HBC to celebrate their tercentenary in
1970. It was crafted using tools and materials of the seventeenth century. When completed, it was placed on a ship and transported to Canada, where it sailed down the Atlantic coast of Canada and the United States. It also sailed through the
Great Lakes and then was placed on a semi trailer and taken to
Seattle for a voyage down the Pacific coast. It was presented by HBC to the citizens of
Manitoba and placed on permanent display in
1973 in the Nonsuch Gallery at the
Manitoba Museum in
Winnipeg,
Manitoba (then called the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature). Built specifically for the ship, it is a 90 foot gallery giving the feel of a 17th century scene to visitors and shows the ship at the English port of
Deptford, just before embarking on her journey to Hudson Bay.
External link
★
''Nonsuch'' Gallery