La DAUPHINE corvette 1774

[aukepalmhof]

This stamp depict Yves de Kerguelen-Trémarec and the three French ships he used during his second voyage to the Antarctic.
She were the L’OISEAU, Le ROLAND and the La DAUPHINE, most probably the vessel on the right is the flagship Le ROLAND, while the two vessels on the left are the L’OISEAU and La DAUPHINE.

The expedition sailed from Brest on 26 March 1773 with two ships the Le ROLAND under command of the Second Lieutenant Lignivile as flagship and L’OISEAU under command of Sauix de Rosnevet and second in command Lieutenant de Tromelin.
29 August 1773 after a call at Cape Town the two ships arrived in Port Louis, I’ile de France (now Mauritius)
In Port Louis a third vessel joined the expedition the La DAUPHINE under command of Lieutenant Ferron.

After repairs and replenishing with fresh stores, 17 October 1773 the three vessels sailed from Mauritius, and via Reunion Island arriving 14 December 1773 off the coast of Kerguelen.
Due to foggy weather and a rough sea they can not land, and on 26 December contact is lost with the L’OISEAU which not was sighted again before the 08 January 1774.

During the time she was missing Sauix de Rosnevet found an anchorage where after they launched a boat and made a landing on 06 January 1774, and he claimed again the island for France.
A second landing took place on the archipelago, deep in the Bay of L’Oiseau which is now named Port Christmas.
18 January 1774 not possible to make other landings due to the weather and high seas, and running out of provision and the state of health of the crews, Kerguelen decided to return to a warmer climate.
18 February 1774 he arrived in Madagascar, and after again a call at Cape Town from 06 May till 26 June he sailed to France where he arrived on 07 September 1774.

The two vessel not depict on an other stamp of TAAF is the La DAUPHINE and L’OISEAU, the Le ROLAND you can find in the index.

She was built as a wooden corvette on the Ile de Bourbon (now Réunion) in 1773 for the French Navy.
June 1773 launched as La DAUPHINE.
Armament 4 guns minimal, most sources have 12 guns. Not a tonnage or dimensions given.
August 1773 commissioned.

She was used as a store-ship for the expedition.

Most probably after the return of the expedition from the Kerguelen Islands she stayed behind in the Indian Ocean.
29 November 1776 Chevalier de Tromelin, captain of the La DAUPHINE, (most probably the same ship as which Kerguelen used) found on Ile de Sable (now Tromelin Island) eight survivors on the island, seven women and one child, the only survivors of a group of 60 slaves left behind by the crew of the UTILE when on a voyage from Madagascar to Mauritius she wrecked on Ile de Sable on 17 November 1760.
The crew of the UTILE left the wreck with a makeshift vessel, but never returned to pick up the slaves.

June 1780 the DAUPHINE was captured by three British privateers, (warships) .
1783 Arrived in Deptford, no record of commissioning in Royal Navy
08 January 1784 sold in Deptford, Fate not known

French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1960 25f sg23, scott 20
French Southern and Antarctic Territories 2024 1.65 Euro sg?, Scott?

Source: Wikipedia. http://www.threedecks.org/index.php?dis ... p&id=15658 http://www.philateliedestaaf.fr/HTML/Ti ... PO222A.htm
https/threedecks,org/index.hp?display_type=show_ship&ld=7595