Frans Jacobszoon Visscher

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Frans Jacobszoon Visscher was a Dutch mariner and explorer, who voyaged as pilot-major on the first voyage of Abel Tasman to the Southern Hemisphere, between August 1642 and 15 June 1643 and was a native of Flushing, Netherlands. He is known to have lived in the period 1623–1645. His first name may be written Franchoijs or Franchoys etc.; his middle name may be found sometimes abbreviated "Jacobsz."^[1]

According to the specialist on Visscher and Abel Tasman, Michael Ross,^[2] Visscher had been in Asia about ten years before Tasman's great voyage. He was a mate and steersman on the Nassau fleet (1623-6) of Jacob L’Hermite and Hugo Schapeham. Visscher was therefore able to develop the proposal that would lead to Tasman's 1642 expedition, and he was an ideal person to choose as navigator.^[3]

In 1642, Visscher published Memoir concerning the discovery of the South land.