La Curieuse 1912

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a wooden ketch rigged ship by Leon Lefevre at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
August 1911 keel laid down.
03 April 1912 launched as La CURIEUSE.
Tonnage 75 grt, dim.20.54 x 5.74m.
One 40hp auxiliary petrol engine, speed 6 knots. Bunker capacity 6.500 liter, range on the engine 3.500 mile.
Fresh water capacity 10.500 liter.
Her hull was sheated with zinc.
Crew 6.
She was designed by Frenchman G.Soe.

16 July 1912 Sailed from Boulogne under command of Raymond Rallier du Baty, 27 July at Southampton,
18 September 1912 sailed from Cherbourg made calls at Madera 29 September, Canary Islands10 October, Dakar 28 October, Rio de Janeiro 19 December, Montevideo 09 February 1913, Buenos Aires 14 February till 17 February, again Montevideo 18 February, Cape Town 03 July until 20 September and arrived at the Kerguelen Islands 22 October, where the crew carried out survey and scientific work.
20 May 1914 at Amsterdam Island.

10 June 1914 arrived at Albany, west coast Australia, where the crew was told that war had broken out between French and Germany, World War I.
Her crew sailed to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia were she arrived on 16 October, the La CURIEUSE was laid up, and the crew returned to France by steamship.

13 March 1929 sold to Compagnie Française d’Océanie (Romona).
She was used then in the French Polynesian waters.
She sank near Papeete, Tahiti. (not a date given), but parts of the wreck are still visible till today. (1994)

French Southern & Ant. Terr. (TAAF) 1976 1.90fr sg104, scottC41. 1989 2f20 sg250, scottC104


Source: Log Book November 1994. http://www.philateliemarine.fr/phil_mar_e/TAAF_e.htm