York ships were used by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 18th and 19th centuries to penetrate inland waterways in eastern Canada. The design was inspired by Viking ships and was flat-bottomed, making it easy to maneuver. They were built to be durable and strong, but their heavy construction made portages difficult. They were named after the York Factory, the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
York ships are ships that were used by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in the 18th and 19th centuries, before being replaced by steamships. These ships allowed traders to penetrate inland waterways in eastern Canada, and York’s ship design inspired ships used for trade in some regions of the Pacific Northwest. Replicas of York ships can be seen on display in several museums, and archaeologists periodically unearth whole or partial ships in excavations of 18th and 19th century sites.
York’s ship design was inspired by ships made in Orkney, England. The Orkneymen trace the lineage of their ships back to the ships used by the Vikings, and York ships bear a strong similarity to Viking ships, especially in their clinker construction, a technique of building the sides of the ship with overlapping planks. . The design was flat-bottomed, increasing headroom and stowage space, with a pointed bow and stern making it easy to maneuver the ship along inland waterways.
Some York ships were propelled by a crew of oarsmen, while others used sails and oars. Steering systems include crude steering posts, such as have been used on inland waterways for thousands of years, along with more sophisticated rudders. York’s ships were built to be durable and very strong, and they could work safely on icy waterways because their heavy construction resisted punctures from the ice. This was critical in Canada’s often cold climate.
The heavy construction of York’s ships was a problem in the portages, as the ships could not be easily lifted and carried like canoes. Folk portals were sometimes fitted with rollers to make it easier for York ship crews to maneuver their ships through the landscape to avoid waterfalls and other obstructions. The handicap in porting was believed to be greater than the stability and strength of York’s ships, as well as their capacity.
These ships were named for the York Factory, the settlement that served as the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company. They were built in the settlement by Orkneymen, who were specifically imported as shipbuilding consultants, and made their way between the York Factory with loads of merchandise that could be transferred to larger ships for trade elsewhere. Today, the York Factory is maintained as a historic site by the Canadian government.
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