Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

Henry Hudson: Mutiny on Hudson Bay

Henry Hudson (c. 1565 –disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigatorduring the early 17th century, best known for his explorations ofpresent-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States.

In 1607 and 1608, Hudson made twoattempts on behalf of English merchants to find a rumored NortheastPassage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle. In 1609, helanded in North America on behalf of the Dutch East India Company andexplored the region around the modern New York metropolitan area.Looking for a Northwest Passage to Asia on his ship Halve Maen ("HalfMoon"), he sailed up the Hudson River, which was later namedafter him, and thereby laid the foundation for Dutch colonization ofthe region.

On his final expedition, while stillsearching for the Northwest Passage, Hudson became the first Europeanto see Hudson Strait and the immense Hudson Bay. In 1611, afterwintering on the shore of James Bay, Hudson wanted to press on to thewest, but most of his crew mutinied. The mutineers cast Hudson, hisson, and seven others adrift; the Hudsons and their companions werenever seen again.

Early life

Details of Hudson's birth and earlylife are mostly unknown. Some sources have identified him as havingbeen born in about 1565, but others date his birth to around 1570. Other historians assert even less certainty; Peter C. Mancall, forinstance, states that "[Hudson] was probably born in the1560s," while Piers Pennington gives no date at all. Hudsonis thought to have spent many years at sea, beginning as a cabin boyand gradually working his way up to ship's captain.

Exploration

Expeditions of 1607 and 1608

In 1607, the Muscovy Company of Englandhired Hudson to find a northerly route to the Pacific coast of Asia.At the time, the English were engaged in an economic battle with theDutch for control of northwest routes. It was thought that, becausethe sun shone for three months in the northern latitudes in thesummer, the ice would melt and a ship could make it across the "topof the world".

On 1 May 1607, Hudson sailed with acrew of ten men and a boy on the 80-ton Hopewell. They reached theeast coast of Greenland on 14 June, coasting it northward until 22June. Here the party named a headland "Young's Cape",a "very high mount, like a round castle" near it"Mount of God's Mercy" and land at 73° northlatitude "Hold with Hope". After turning east, theysighted "Newland"—i.e. Spitsbergen—on 27 May,near the mouth of the great bay Hudson later simply named the "GreatIndraught" (Isfjorden).

On 13 July, Hudson and his crewestimated that they had sailed as far north as 80° 23′ N, but morelikely only reached 79° 23′ N. The following day they entered whatHudson later in the voyage named "Whales Bay"(Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden), naming its northwestern point"Collins Cape" (Kapp Mitra) after his boatswain,William Collins. They sailed north the following two days. On 16July, they reached as far north as Hakluyt's Headland (which ThomasEdge claims Hudson named on this voyage) at 79° 49′ N, thinkingthey saw the land continue to 82° N (Svalbard's northernmost pointis 80° 49′ N) when really it trended to the east. Encountering icepacked along the north coast, they were forced to turn back south.Hudson wanted to make his return "by the north of Greenlandto Davis his Streights (Davis Strait), and so for Kingdom ofEngland," but ice conditions would have made thisimpossible. The expedition returned to Tilbury Hope on the RiverThames on 15 September.