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. The ship 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, this is a 90 feet gallery that gives a feel of the 17th century scene for the sailors and visitors and shows the ship at the English port of Deptford, just before it embarks on the journey to Hudson Bay.

External link

• Nonsuch Gallery

History of Manitoba | Museum ships | Sailboat names