From the CBC archives: Nonsuch arrives in Winnipeg in 1973
Replica of 17th-century ship was delivered to Manitoba Museum 41 years ago
It was 41 years ago today that the Nonsuch sailed into Winnipeg — that is, a replica of the historic British ship was delivered by truck to the Manitoba Museum.
In this CBC-TV silent video footage from Nov. 19, 1973, a truck transports the replica to its permanent home: a museum gallery that was being built for the two-masted ketch.
The museum's Nonsuch is a replica of the 17th-century British ship that led to the creation of the Hudson's Bay Company and the opening of western Canada to commerce.
The original ship sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1668-69 to help establish a fur trading route via Hudson Bay.
The replica was built in 1970 in England to celebrate the tricentennial of the Hudson's Bay Company. It sailed 14,000 kilometres before arriving at its home in Winnipeg.
The Manitoba Museum's Nonsuch Gallery officially opened on Dec. 8, 1974. Since then, more than four million visitors have checked out the ship.
The Nonsuch made headlines as recently as October 2011, when pop stars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez dined on the ship during a visit to Winnipeg, where Gomez was performing at the MTS Centre.
The museum is celebrating the Nonsuch every weekend in November with special programming between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.