Gerrit de Veer (c. 1570 – after 1598) was a Dutch officer, explorer, and chronicler who participated in the historic Arctic expeditions of the late sixteenth century. Serving under the renowned navigator Willem Barentsz, de Veer joined the second and third voyages in 1595 and 1596. These journeys were part of the Dutch Republic's ambitious efforts to locate a Northeast Passage to Asia, navigating through uncharted and treacherous northern waters.
During these voyages, de Veer kept a detailed diary that became a cornerstone of early polar literature. His writings went beyond mere navigation logs, capturing unique scientific and medical phenomena. In 1597, he became the first person to observe and record the "Novaya Zemlya effect," an optical illusion caused by atmospheric refraction. Additionally, he was the first Westerner to document the effects of hypervitaminosis A, which resulted from the crew consuming polar bear liver during their survival ordeal.
De Veer's observations were published in his seminal account, The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions. This work provided a vivid, firsthand narrative of the crew's struggle to survive the brutal Arctic winter after their ship became trapped in the ice. His writings remain a vital historical and scientific record of the Age of Discovery, illustrating the immense perils and the spirit of inquiry that characterized early modern exploration.
