Hoop (East Indiaman)


Hoop was a Dutch sailing ship that sank in 1605 during a storm in the Pacific Ocean, while she was travelling from Hawaii to Japan under the command of Admiral Jacques Mahu.

Owners

Hoop was built for the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie as a frigate, to serve for the Magellaanse Compagnie.

Expedition to Japan and Sinking

On 27 June 1598 Hoop, Blijde Boodschap, Trouw, Geloof, and Liefde left Goeree, The Netherlands for Japan. They had been sent on a risky venture to raid Spanish and Portuguese settlements in Africa and Asia and to return with pepper and other spices from the Moluccas.
In those days a man could earn a fortune with pepper. The German language still knows the expression Pfeffersack - meaning "a bag of pepper" - as a synonym for a very rich man.
Admiral Jacques Mahu died on 23 September 1598 of sickness during the voyage and was replaced by Vice-admiral of the fleet Simon de Cordes, who was killed on the Mocha Island on 11 November 1599 by the locals. Cordes was replaced by Jacob Huydecoper ?
The two remaining ships, Hoop and Liefde, continued to Japan.
After leaving Hawaii for Japan on 24 September 1600 Hoop and Liefde got caught in a storm which sank Hoop and badly damaged Liefde leaving all 130 crewmembers of the Hoop including the new expedition leader Huydecoper and Captain Kornelisz Jansz Noris dead.
Liefde under command of Captain Jacob Quaeckernaeck arrived in Usuki Bay, Kyushu, Japan on 19 April 1600 with 24 half-starved men. Seven of them were so weakened by the journey that they died later, leaving only 17 survivors of the original 100 member crew of the only ship that survived the expedition to Japan. In total 5 ships and about 500 men left Rotterdam in 1598 and only 1 ship and 17 men reached their goal two years later. Liefde continued to serve for the Dutch Navy until her sinking near Japan in 1605.