André Pessoa (1560 – 6 January 1610) was a Portuguese soldier and Captain-major better known for his service in Macau and Nagasaki.

[1] He returned to Europe shortly thereafter and, in 1583, participated in an expedition to the Azores, where he fought against the supporters of Prior of Crato, the pretender to the Portuguese throne.

[6] The following year, in June 29, 1609, Pessoa commanded the Portuguese carrack Nossa Senhora da Graça (also known as Madre de Deus) on a voyage to Japan and arrived in Nagasaki.

[5][7] On January 3, 1610, the ship was besieged by forces under Arima Harunobu, seeking retribution for the previous incident in Macau.

After days of intense conflict, Pessoa, facing overwhelming odds, chose to scuttle the ship by setting the gunpowder storage on fire, resulting in its destruction.