French ship Pélican (1693) (original) (raw)

The Pélican was a French warship from the late 17th century. Built in Bayonne, France, the original Pélican was launched in January 1693. A 500-ton ship fitted with 50 guns and commanded by Captain Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, she ran aground on the shores of Hudson Bay a few days after a heroic battle in 1697, badly damaged by the encounter and by a fierce storm. In five short months the ship's place in history had been assured, as the victor in the greatest naval battle in the history of New France.