Sentence:  Many ships played important roles in the <WSD>HBC</WSD> history. They maintained order and carried on trade with Alaska. On the West Coast those most familiar were the steamer Beaver and the schooner Cadboro, both armed with cannon. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (Hudson's Bay Company), a major Canadian retailer and former British Crown corporation on the North American fur trade.