Jacob van Heemskerck

Dutch naval commander and merchant, van Heemskerch is remembered as one of the first Europeans to survive a winter in the Arctic.

Participating in the Willem Barentz’s expeditions to the far north in search of a northeast passage to Asia, during which their ship was trapped into the ice, Jacob was forced to spend ten months near Nova Zembla. However, he survived that adventure and in the following years he was active as commander in several voyages to the East Indies. Moreover, his engagement resulted in the establishment of trade relations with the rulers of Ternate, Banda, and Amboina.

As an admiral of a fleet comprised of eight ships, Jacob even captured the Santa Catharina (1603), a rich Portuguese trading ship in the Straits of Malacca. However, during the confrontation of the United Provinces’ war fleet which he commanded and the Spanish Armada near Gibraltar in 1607 van Heemskerck take a shot in the leg and died shortly afterwards.