Henry Hudson

Ode

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Who is Henry Hudson? What exactly did he do with his life during his time? Henry Hudson was a great explorer. He became well known and even has a river named after him to honor all he discovered in his time, also known as the Hudson River. He completed many voyages throughout his lifetime searching for passages and other great aspects that could have been discovered at anytime.

Henry Hudson completed his first voyage in 1607. He was captain of his ship, known as the Hopewell. Hudson and one of his crew members, John Playse, recorded this journey in a journal. He was attempting to find a North passage through the North Pole. Many geographers of that day believed that if you went far enough North, the Arctic would actually get warmer due to the constant Sun. They thought the Sun would melt the poles and a water passage would be available. Henry Hudson discovered they were mistaken. Even thought this passage did not exist, Hudson did make other discoveries on his trip. One being pods of whales at Spitzbergen Island. He later became known as the grandfather for the whale industry in England. Also, Hudson had traveled farther North than any other explorer before him. Edward Wright’s map had been amended after this voyage due to the fact that Henry Hudson had gone farther North and corrections were necessary.

On his second voyage in 1608, Henry Hudson searched for the Northeast Passage. His support came from the Russia Company. It had been three months since his last voyage, yet Hudson was ready for another challenge. Hudson was doing well until he reached the islands of Novaya Zemlya. The water turned to ice making it impossible to travel through. Hudson decided to change plans and head to the Northeast Passage until his crew found out they weren’t heading home. He was able to reason with his crew by turning for home and writing a letter explaining that his crew did not force him into doing so. Sadly, Hudson did not make any discoveries or progress on this journey mainly due to the crew issues.

Hudson’s third voyage began in 1609. He was determined to find someone to back his journey to the Northeast Passage. He then turned to the Dutch. Hudson explored the northeastern coast of America very close to New York City. He hoped this water passage near New York would provide a passage west to the Pacific. This river is now named after Henry Hudson, known as the Hudson River. As he continued, he realized the river got too narrow to continue his travel. Disappointed again, Henry Hudson turned around to the long journey home, unsuccessful again. Robert Juet wrote a journal about the voyage. He often mentions about many fights with the natives. The crew apparently had a negative outlook on the natives. They were mainly afraid of them and expressed their fear through violence. Although Hudson didn’t realize it at the time, but Europe was the first to record the discovery of today’s New York state.

On his fourth and final voyage, Hudson received support from the European bank to try to find the Northwest Passage. Robert Juet joined him for a third time. As usual, there were many fights throughout the crew even before they reached the place of exploration. Hudson ended up sailing into the harsh arctic waters and into the Hudson Bay. The currents were treacherous. The crew and ship became stuck too far south to head home. They spent the fall and winter on land nearby. The majority of the crew became ill and one member died. The ship was ready to travel on in the spring. Although, Hudson wanted to continue to look for the elusive Northwest Passage, all his crew mates wanted was to head home. Fights broke out and Hudson, his son, and others were left in the sea to die while Robert Juet and the rest of the crew sailed away. Hudson had lost his ship and his life. No one really knows if Hudson was really planning to find the Northwest Passage or to look for gold and other valuable minerals. If he hadn’t turned into the bay, he would have been able to explore more land and head home sooner.

No one really knows what happened to Hudson and his crew in 1611 when his men left him. Rescuers searched for him but he was never found.

It is more likely that Henry Hudson was looking for the rich minerals of the land than the Northwest Passage, although it can not be proven for a fact. Hudson had never confided in his crew and they lost trust and faith in him. They didn’t see the need for his loss of leadership any longer. Henry Hudson went on four main voyages in his lifetime. He explored and made many discoveries. There is a river named after him in his honor, The Hudson River. Henry Hudson was a great explorer that explored and discovered passages and other great aspects that are important to our world today.