Built as a wooden three-mast top-sail schooner built by Gautier in St Malo, France for Dr. J.B.Charcot.
27 June 1903 launched under the name FRANÇAIS.
Tonnage 250 grt, displacement 900 ton. Dim 40 x 5 x 2m. (draught)
Auxiliary steam engine double expansion, 250 hp.
Coal capacity 45 ton.
Built mostly of oak and built along the lines of a whaling ship design.
Crew 25 men
When in the spring in 1903 the Swedish discoverer Dr. Nordenskjold went missing in the Antarctic, Charcot who intended to make a voyage with the FRANÇAIS to the Arctic changed his plans, and instead heading north, sailed south to assist in the search.
15 August 1903 at Le Havre, during stormy weather the FRANÇAIS tried to unmoor, the stern rope broke, striking and killing the sailor Maignan.
27 August at least she sailed out for her voyage to the Antarctic.
Sailed via Madeira, where she made a short stop before heading for Pernambuco (Recife), Brazil.
From there she sailed to Buenos Aires where she arrived 16 November.
At Buenos Aires Charcot received the news that Nordenskjold was rescued by the URUGUAY, and that the ANTARCTIC was crushed in the ice.
23 December sailed from Buenos Aires for the Antarctic waters for a research voyage to the west coast of Graham Land.
One month later he arrived at Orange Harbor, at the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego.
27 January 1904 sailed again from this bay, heading for the south, on the first of February they did see the first icebergs, and sailing off the northwest shore of Palmer Archipelago with a southerly course, when the engine on the FRANÇAIS did give trouble during bad weather on the 5th some boiler pipes ruptured, and steam pressure dropt considerably.
Slowly the vessel steamed to Biscoe Bay, and when the weather improved she sailed from there on the 7th for Flanders Bay, where the engineers could repair the boilers pipes and boiler.
After 11 days she sailed from this bay and on 19 February she entered an inlet at Wiencke Island, which Charcot named Port Lockroy after the French minister of the navy.
Then when they tried to sail farther to the south, ice blocked the passage and the engine did give again trouble, at least she reached 65 05S 64W where they decided to make a winter camp on shore in a shallow bay on the north coast of Booth Island. A few houses were built to be used as a base
From this winter base the men made short trips ashore and collected samples and made observations when weather approved it.
In December most of the ice was cleared from the bay, and the men made a channel through the ice from the FRANÇAIS to open water and after Christmas the FRANÇAIS weighed anchor.
13 January 1905 she hit an underwater rock, and water was flooding in making an end to the voyage. They headed north looking for a shelter, the men pumping to keep the vessel floating.
29 January she reached Port Lockroy on Wiencke Island, and the next ten days were spent to repair the vessel.
After repair she sailed and via Puerto Madryn in Tierra del Fuego she arrived in Buenos Aires.
In Buenos Aires the FRANÇAIS went in dry-dock were was found that she had a 24 foot rip in the false keel.
The Argentinean Government was interested to buy the FRANÇAIS mainly to use it for a supply vessel for the Weather Observation Station on the South Orkneys Islands.
22 November 1905 the contract for the sale of the vessel was signed, with the clause the purchase price of A$50.000 in cash had to be paid before 31 December.
She was renamed EL AUSTRAL.
30 December she sailed from Buenos Aires via Ushuaia to the observation station on the South Orkneys, returning at Buenos Aires on 20 March 1906.
During 1906 she underwent a refit at the Navy yard at Buenos Aires where also her engines were changed.
November under command of Lieutenant D.Arturo Celery she left on 19 December Buenos Aires bound for the South, with relief personnel and stores and equipment for the weather observation station on the South Orkneys.
When near the Banco Ortiz in the middle of the Plata River on 21 December during bad weather a steering cable to the rudder broke and she sprang a leak. The crew in a desperate effort to keep her floating commenced pumping but till now avail she sank.
The salvage vessel El GAVIOTE later assisted by the USHUAIA and MAIPU tried to salvage the wreck, but the salvage attempt were unsuccessful.
TAAF 2003 sg?, scott
Source: http://www.south-pole.com/p0000095.htm some other web-sites.