Olivier van Noort (1558 – 22 February 1627) was a Dutch merchant captain and the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the world.
Early life
Olivier van Noort was born in 1558 in Utrecht.
Voyage
He left Rotterdam on 2 July 1598 with four ships to find an alternative trade route to China and the Spice Islands during the Dutch Eighty Years' War with Spain and Portugal. His ships were poorly equipped, especially in the way of armament, and the crews were unruly.
Van Noort sailed through the Strait of Magellan, and captured a number of Spanish and Portuguese ships along the Pacific coast of South America.
He lost two ships on the way due to a storm, including his largest ship, the Hendrick Frederick, which was wrecked on Ternate in the Maluku Islands.