Description :: |
Handcrafted, scratch built and ready
made. Absolutely nothing to do, except to remove from their boxes!
Original specifications: - (ex-Coquille), Corvette (3m), Hull: Wood, Complement: 70-79, Built: France; 1811
Unlike many model ships in our collection, L’Astrolabe was used by the French for scientific, ethnographic and geographic studies. This was in order to confirm or correct the positions of Islands and other landmasses critical to sail navigation.
The number of places she visited is quite unique as evidenced by her historic voyages below. No amount of history could do justice to this magnificent ship, as the amount of text required would be too great.
A very brief summary of her voyages is detailed below.
Her first major expedition as Coquille was from August 11, 1822 to March 24, 1825, where her itenary was:
Ascension Island
St Catherine Island
Brazil
The Falklands
Peru
Tahiti
Tonga
Fiji
Santa Cruz
Solomon Islands
New Britain
New Zealand
Ellice and Gilbert Islands
New Guinea
Mauritius
St Helena
Renamed L’Astrolabe in honour of one of La Perouse’s ships, on her second voyage (from 1826 to 1829), she sailed the Australian and Western Pacific Islands (no less than 120 Islands.
In 1836, France’s Emperor Louis-Philippe decided to mount an expedition to locate the tough magnetic pole (which they located approximately), with Dumont D’urville as its leader in L’Astrolabe. From Sept 7, 1837 to November 7, 1840, she visited Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, Chile, Pacific Islands, Philippines, Dutch West Indies and Tasmania. During this trip, 22 of her crew died and another 27 left the expedition because of illness and desertion. However, the ship brought back the largest quantity of natural history specimen ever garnered in a single expedition.
Dumont D’urvilles' account of L’Astrolabe third voyage ran to 23 volumes with 5 atlases, but he died before it was published.
The ships previous 2 voyages resulted in 7 volumes and 4 atlases by Duperrey and 14 volumes and 5 atlases by Dumont D’urville.
Brosse, Great Voyages of Discovery. Dumont D’urville, Two voyages to the South Seas by Captain Jules S-C Dumont D’urville. Dunmore, French Explorers in the Pacific.
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