L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

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shipstamps
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L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Post by shipstamps » Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:17 am

Built in 1811 in Toulon as a wooden horse transporter for the French navy.
Launched under the name ECURIE one of a class of 12 ships.
Tonnage 380 tons, dim. 31.57 x 8.48 x 4.25m. (draught)Sail area 994m². Armament 14 – 6pdrs.
Could transport between the 40 and 50 horses.
1813 Refitted in a vessel for the transport of troops and ammunition, and renamed on 09 July 1814 in LA COQUILE.
Due to her excellent seaworthy qualities was she refitted in a survey and discovery vessel.
11 August 1822 she sailed from Toulon under command of Louis I Duperrey together with the La ZÉLÉE for a world cruise, via Ascension, Brazil and Cape Horn to the west coast of South America, sailed so far as Paita, Peru before heading west to Tahiti where she arrived on 3 May 1823, she sailed across the Pacific to Amboina visiting many islands during the crossing.
The COQUILE set from their sail to Australia and via the west and south coast of Australia arrived in Sydney, after a lengthy stay at this port she sailed for New Zealand were she arrived in April 1824.
Then she sailed via the Ellice and Gilbert Islands to New Guinea before heading for Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies. From there via Mauritius and Cape of Good Hope, St Helena she sailed for French were she arrived on 24 March 1825 in Marseilles.
After her return in France she was renamed in L’ASTROLABE in honor of one of La Pérouses’s ships which had disappeared in 1788.
She was fitted out for a new survey voyage and to look for the two missing vessels of La Pérouses the L’ASTROLABE and La BOUSSOLE.
25 April 1826 she set sail under command of Dumont d’Urville, again together with the LA ZÉLÉE from France for Australia and the western Pacific waters, during the voyage she charted 120 islands in the Tonga and Fiji Islands group.
After repairs in Amboina the L’ASTROLABE sailed through the Torres Strait to Tasmania, where she got the information that the English Captain Peter Dillon found some pieces of the wreck on Vanikoro in 1826.
After sailing from Australia, they set sail for Vanikoro one of the New Hebrides where she found more artifacts of the two missing ships, confirming the findings of Dillon.
From there she returned home via Guam and Ile de France to Marseilles, where she arrived on 24 February 1829.
Later this year she made a voyage to Egypt, after her return from Egypt she was held in quarantine till January 1830. Then partly rebuilt she was fitted out for a new expedition now to the Antarctic waters to find the south magnetic pole, on 07 September 1837 she and the LA ZÉLÉE sailed from Toulon. The expedition again under command of d’Urville. On board also 7 scientists and naturalists. Via Tenerife and Strait Magellan she headed for the Antarctic waters.
22 January 1838 she were running in a impenetrable mass of ice, and the progress to the south was blocked, they did see Palmers Peninsula before setting course to Chile in April, two men died of scurvy there and 22 men deserted or were to ill to continue.
Again the two ships crossed the Pacific passing through the Marquesas, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji Islands, before they reached Guam. Then to the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies to Tasmania were both ships arrived in November 1839.
01 January 1840 both ships headed again south and on 19 January they sighted land, what was named after d”Urville’s wife Terra Adélie, but impossible to make a landing. After finding the approximately position of the magnetic south pole, the two ships sailed back to Tasmania were some crew, which were left behind sick were rebarked, via New Zealand they sailed home, arriving in Toulon on 07 November 1840. During this expedition 22 of the crew had died and 27 had deserted or were left behind to sick to continue.
During the spring of 1847till the end of 1850 the L’ASTROLABE made a survey voyage along the coast of South America.
1851 Sold for breaking up.

The Fiji Post leaflet gives as follow:

The French corvette L’ASTROLABE visited Fiji twice under the command of Dumont d”Urville. The first visit was in 1827, on a mission to explore the Pacific, and in particular to ascertain the fate of the French explorer La Pérouse who had been lost in the Solomon Islands? in 1788. They sailed from Lau to Lomaiviti and then to Rewa and turning south narrowly escaped being wrecked on the reef that now bears the ship’s name – Astrolabe Reef – before exiting via Vatulele and Nadronga. The published records of this voyage contain a fantastic amount of detailed information about Fiji, much of it supplied by Tubuanakoro, Cakobau’s older brother who spent much time on board, and was highly praised by d’Urville and his officers. The second visit in 1838 was to punish the people of Bau and Viwa for having seized and murdered the captain and crew of the French brig L’AIMABLE JOSÉPHINE in 1834.

Auke Palmhof
Sources: many web-sites. Ships of the World by Paine.

Aust Ant SG49, Brit Ant SG48, Cambodia SG1118, FSAT SG44, 86, 267, 269, Micronesia SG33, New Caledonia SG543, New Zealand SG2055 Papua SG551, 709, MS857 Penrhyn SG175,195,308,345,O26 St Helena SG50 Solomon Is SG819, 821 Tonga SG962/5 Vanuatu SG802 Wallis and ortuna SG223
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SG49
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SG500
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SG223
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SG345
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elenahusky
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:08 am

Re: L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Post by elenahusky » Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:10 am

Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (23 May 1790 – 8 May 1842) was a French explorer, naval officer and rear admiral, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.
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vanuatu hotel deals

Arturo
Posts: 723
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Post by Arturo » Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:13 pm

L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Tonga 1987, S.G.?, Scott: 646.

Tonga 1987, S.G.?, Scott: 648.

Tonga 1987, S.G.?, Scott: 649.
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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Post by aukepalmhof » Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:45 pm

Penrhyn 1983 36c on 30c sg308
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Anatol
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: L'Astrolabe (D'Urville)

Post by Anatol » Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:19 pm

PMR 2019; [P].
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