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Henry Hudson
Born: 1565, place not known, England - Died: Probably in 1611
Interesting Trivia:
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his Grandfather was probably one of the founders of the Muscovy Company
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Hudson Bay, Hudson River and Hudson Strait, was named after him
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he discovered Jan Mayen Island (a tiny island off eastern Greenland)
His Story:
Close to nothing is known of Hudson’s early life, but in 1607 he was hired by the English Muscovy Company to find the Northeast Passage to China through Arctic Siberia. He was already an experienced seaman. China, also called the "islands of spicery" could be reached only via the Cape of Good Hope, which was a lengthy and expensive voyage. Hopes to shorten this route failed due to ice and strong winds and Hudson set out again in 1608. Again, ice blocked his attempt to find a fast northerly passage to China.
A year later, Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company, which had a monopoly on trade with the Orient to try anew. He was provided with an 80-ton ship, the "Half Moon," and a crew of 20, which consisted of Dutch and English sailors. He sailed in April 1609.
Troubles on board made the journey difficult, there was a threat of mutiny and they had to make a halt in Maine to replace the ship’s mast. To prevent his crew from mutinying Hudson decided to violate the orders from his sponsors and take a different route. They sailed west across the Atlantic. On the way they fished and traded with the Native Americans. Unfortunately, the sought after passage was not to be found. In September they sailed to the mouth of the Hudson River, which he began exploring. On September 14th he saw the wide Tappan Zee, thinking this might be the long-sought passage, but when they reached the shallower area near Albany he turned back.
He also sailed into the harbor of present-day New York, noting what an excellent harbor it was and the abundance of rich unclaimed land. His reports opened the way for Dutch settlement of the region and the Dutch claimed the region. The reports had suggested great opportunities for agriculture and fur trading in the valley, an opportunity too good for the Dutch to pass on.
Hudson and his crew had had considerable contact with the Native Americans, with whom they traded. But on October 2nd, as the "Half Moon" neared Manhattan, some Native Americans became hostile and Hudson ordered guns to be fired at them. During this skirmish, several were killed.
The “Half Moon” returned to England on November 7th and was returned to Holland but without Hudson and the English crew.
His final journey started in 1610, when a group of wealthy Londoners (later they became known as "The Adventurers"), who still believed there was a faster route to the east, sent Hudson off as captain of the "Discovery" to find a North-West passage. He entered the Hudson Strait, between Labrador and Baffin Island, in June 1610. At the western end of the Strait, he passed between the islands and the mainland, naming the headlands Cape Digges and Cape Wolstenholme. They were forced to over winter in James Bay (they were the first Europeans to overwinter in the Canadian Arctic) and again Hudson had to deal with a discontented crew. Monotony and starvation seemed to be awaiting the crew. The following spring the crew mutinied when Hudson wanted to explore farther to the west. Hudson, his son and some other men adrift in a small open boat and they were never seen again. It is assumed they died shortly after as no water or supplies were given to them by the mutineers.
Some of the mutineers did not fare better, one of the ringleaders, Greene, was killed by Eskimos with several other mutineers and the other ringleader never made it back to England. The “Discovery” made it back to England, captained by Robert Bylot. Only 8 crewmembers had survived the journey. The reports they brought back led the "Adventurers" to the conclusion that the Northwest Passage lay west or northwest of Digges Islands. None of the remaining mutineers were ever punished.
Te Papa Whale exhibition in Washington, DC