Jacob Mahu (died 23 September 1598) was a Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 Explorer and leader of an expedition of five ships to India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

The first expedition, which was organised by Pieter van der Hagen and Johan van der Veeken, consisted of a fleet of five ships and about 500 men.

The ships with their initial captains were:

• The Hoop, captained by Jacques Mahu
• The Liefde, captained by Simon de Cordes
• The Geloof, captained by Gerrit van Beuningen
• The Trouwe, captained by Van Boekhout
• The Blijde Boodschap, captained by Sebald de Weert
  Sebald de Weert
  Sebald or Sebalt de Weert was a Dutch captain and vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company...
  
  

The expedition left from Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

on 27 june, 1598, but suffered from misfortune from the start. Many men died from sickness off the coast of Afrika, amongst them Jacques Mahu himself. The leadership of the expedition was taken over by Simon de Cordes.