 |
|
|
Battle
of the Bay: Battle
in the Arctic Waters
|
|
The Pelican
was surrounded by one British frigate, the Hampshire, and
two armed freighters, the Dering and the Hudson's Bay.
The British had 118 guns as well as more soldiers. D'Iberville had
sent some of his best crew ashore to scout the fort. Others were
below deck, sick with scurvy.
The Pelican was in trouble.
 |
|
The
British navy painted the decks of its ships red so that the
blood flowed from wounded men, other men would not see it so
easily. It was worried that if they did, they would lose their
courage.
|
The British
fired the first shot. The captain of the Hampshire, John
Fletcher, ordered his men to fire. The Pelican was hit broadside.
The battle raged on for close to four hours. It seemed as if
the British were winning - the French soldiers on the Pelican
were badly injured. Their blood could be seen dripping from the
ship into the cold Arctic water. The British ordered the French
to surrender, but the French refused.
Captain Fletcher
held up a glass of wine to toast d'Iberville's bravery. Then it
happened. The Hampshire exploded into flames, probably
because the gunpowder had caught fire. It sank, taking all of
its crew with it.
One of the other
ships made a desperate attempt to fire another shot, but gave up
hope. It quickly ran a white flag up its mast- a sign of surrender.
The other ship retreated in a hurry. The French claimed victory.
Hudson's Bay Company spent the next 16 years trying to recapture
their trading post.
Links
to more information…
…About
the Battle of the Bay:
Hudson's Bay Company: Battle
of the Bay
…About d'Iberville :
The Virtual Museum of New France: Pierre
le Moyne d'Iberville
 |
|
Was
d'Iberville brave or foolish to fight the English so hard? Why?
|
Page
1
2
Back
to Stories Page
|
