Voyages
Henry Hudson went on a total of four voyages during his career. His sailed under England for his first two voyages and the Netherlands for his last two. Hudson is most known for his third voyage, where he discovered the Hudson River.
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- 1607 - Hudson sailed the Hopewell for England northeast in an attempt to reach Japan and China. Hudson ultimately failed, but he did discover whale pods near Norway, later leading to a profitable whaling industry for England
- 1608 - Hudson again attempted to find a Northeast Passage to Asia for England. This voyage was also a failure.
- 1609 - Hudson’s most famous voyage where he sailed for the Dutch East India Company. Read more about this voyage below.
- 1610 - Hudson sailed the Dutch ship Discovery to search again for the Northwest Passage to Asia. During this voyage, he discovered the Hudson Strait and the Hudson Bay. However, icy conditions forced him and his crew to stay there for the winter. In the summer of 1611, Hudson’s crew abandoned him and he was never seen again.
Henry Hudson's Most Famous Voyage
Henry Hudson’s most famous voyage was his third, where he sailed for the Dutch East India Company. On March 25, 1609, he left Amsterdam and sailed the Dutch ship Halve Maen, or Half Moon, northeast in an attempt to find the Northeast Passage. He encountered icy conditions, just as he had on previous voyages. However, instead of turning back like he had done before, he decided to search for the Northwest Passage instead. He soon reached the northeast coast of North America, where he discovered the mouth of the Hudson River. Hudson attempted to trade with the Native Americans living there, but they refused to interact with explorers. Despite this, Hudson followed the river upstream all the way to modern-day Albany, New York before the waters became too shallow to navigate. Along the way, Hudson traded beads and tools with the Mohican Indians for corn, bread, oysters, and fur. After trading, Hudson returned to England, whom he had originally sailed for. They arrested him for sailing under the Dutch, which they considered treason. Eventually, Hudson was released, and he returned the the Netherlands with the belief that the voyage was unsuccessful because he had not found a Northeast or Northwest Passage. However, his discovery of the Hudson River later led to the Dutch colonization of New Amsterdam in 1625. All in all, his exploration of the modern-day New York area led to an increased interest in Dutch colonization and Native American trade.