North Star of Herschel Island honoured
Nov 8, 2018
Canada’s Arctic tall ship, North Star of Herschel Island, was inducted into the NW Passage Hall of Fame at the Annual Arctic Awards Gala at the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The ship is currently moored at the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour.
North Star is the last of the sailing ships involved in Canada’s Arctic fur trade. Originally owned and operated by two Inuit trappers from 1935 until 1961 she was subsequently chartered by both the Diefenbaker and Pierre Trudeau governments to assert Canadian Arctic sovereignty. Recently she served as the Canadian Goodwill Ambassador at an International tall ships festival.
Other inductees were Sven Johansson for being the first captain to sail a private vessel through the NW Passage and the Hudson’s Bay Company for their 1920’s expedition to set up a fur trading post on King William Island.