Hoop (East Indiaman)

Hoop was a Dutch sailing ship that sank 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 build for the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) 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 Rotterdam, 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 Asia. 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 island La Mocha on 11 november 1599 by the locals. Cordes was finally replaced by Hudcupee.

The two remaining ships, Hoop and Liefde continued to Japan. After leaving Hawaii for Japan on 24 September 1600 the Hoop and Liefde got caught in a storm which sank the Hoop and badly damaged the Liefde leaving all 130 crewmembers of the Hoop including the new expidition leader Hudcupee and Captain Kornelisz Jansz Noris dead.
 * Blijde Boodschap drifted away to the South and was captured by the Spanish, off Valparaíso, Chile.
 * Geloof returned home.
 * Trouw was captured between the Strait of Magellan and the coast of Chile.

The Liefde under command of Captain Jacob Quaeckernaeck arrived in Usuki Bay, Kyushu, Japan on 19 April 1600 with 24 half-starved men (23 Dutch and one Englishman). Seven of them were so weakened by the journey that they died later, leaving only 17 survivors of the original 100 member crew and 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.

Wreck
The current wreck position is unknown.