The passage situated between Isla de los Estados and the mainland was named the Le Maire Strait to honour the Dutch mariner who proposed it to his ship's council. During a 1615 expedition designed to circumvent the Dutch East India Company's monopoly, Jacob Le Maire helped prove that Tierra del Fuego was not a continent by navigating around Cape Horn.
Early Life and Business Conflict
Born around 1585 in Antwerp, Jacob was one of 22 children belonging to Maria Walraven and the prosperous merchant Isaac Le Maire. Following the Spanish siege of Antwerp, the family relocated to Amsterdam. Isaac Le Maire became a founder of the Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC. However, a significant dispute in 1605 forced Isaac out of the organization, leading him to spend the next decade attempting to bypass the firm's restrictive trade monopoly to the East Indies.
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To evade the VOC, Isaac Le Maire established the Australian Company and financed the voyage of two ships: the Eendracht and the Hoorn. Jacob Le Maire was placed in charge of trading duties, while Willem Schouten served as the Eendracht's captain. The ships departed Texel in the United Provinces on 14 June 1615. After the Hoorn was lost to fire, the remaining crew rounded Cape Horn on 29 January 1616. The expedition crossed the Pacific, visiting the Tuamotus and, in April 1616, reaching the Northern Tonga islands and the Hoorn Islands.
Conflict and Death
Upon reaching the VOC headquarters in Ternate on 12 September 1616, the explorers were greeted by officials including Laurens Reael. Despite the successful navigation of a new route, the crew reached Batavia on 28 October 1616 only to face accusations of monopoly infringement from Jan Pieterszoon Coen. The Eendracht was confiscated, and the explorers were arrested. While returning to Amsterdam in the company of Joris van Spilbergen, Jacob Le Maire died at sea in the Indian Ocean in 1616. His diaries were later recovered by his father, who secured a legal victory against the VOC in 1622.
Fast facts
- Born: 1585, Antwerp
- Died: 1616, Indian Ocean
- Nationality: Dutch Republic
- Expedition years: 1615–1616
- Occupation: Explorer
- Known language: Latin
Questions readers ask
Why was the Le Maire Strait controversial?
Although the council aboard the Eendracht voted to name the passage after Le Maire, some crew members argued it should have been named after the ship's captain, Willem Schouten, citing his skill in navigation.
What happened to the expedition's ships?
The Hoorn was destroyed by fire during the journey. The Eendracht successfully completed the voyage but was later confiscated by the Dutch East India Company in Batavia.
Achievements
- Recorded as explorer
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