The Pelican was the Ship d'Iberville commanded in 1697 when he invaded Hudson Bay in an
attempt to capture English trading posts there. Cornered by three enemy ships, d'Iberville
managed to pull off a stunning victory. The story goes that just before opening fire the English
captain toasted his opponent from the deck of his ship with a glass of wine and actually invited
him to dinner after the battle, if he lived that long!