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Le Gros Ventre (translated from French to English as: Big Belly) was a French Royal Navy gabare with a Naval Service Date from 1766 to 1779.

Gabares first appeared about 1715 as small 40 to 130 ton transport ships used by the French Royal Navy to re-supply squadrons at sea, French dockyards, and French colonies. Over time, their function and importance changed - from simple supply and escort duty to supporting major voyages of exploration to new lands. As a direct result of these changes, gabares evolved over the next two hundred years. New gabare designs included various deck, hull, and gun port configurations and a dramatic increase in ship capacity until, by the beginning of the 19th century, they were weighing in at 450 tons.

Sometimes gabares experienced major design re-configurations during their own service life. Le Gros Ventre was just such a vessel. To prepare for a Naval Expedition to the Fortune Islands in 1772, a flying orlop deck was added to Le Gros Ventre and her armament was increased from 10 to 16 cannons.

Historic tie-back to the present...

In 1998, two bottles were unearthed on the western coast of Australia. One contained a hand written paper from 1772 which indicated that a French captain Monsieur de Saint Allouarn of the French gabare ship Le Gros Ventre had claimed Australia as a French possession in the name of King Louis XV. A search, of the present day French Naval Historical Services, found the original hull plans for Le Gros Ventre. Documentation was also found that indicated she did in fact take part in the Kerguelen Expedition of 1772 where she discovered the occidental coast of Australia.

Because the newly discovered area of Australia was a desert with an inhospitable climate, the find by France at that time was considered to be unimportant and allowed to be lost in history. Many years later Australia was once again discovered, this time by Captain Cook, and re-claimed, this time, in the name of England.

Ship's Dimentions: (1 French Foot=0.325 Meters=12.80 English Inches)

* Length: 112 French Feet=36.40 Meters=119.4 English Feet
* Width: 25 French Feet=8.13 Meters=26.7 English Feet
* Depth: 13 French Feet 3 Inches=4.31 Meters=14.1 English Feet
* Weight: 400 Tons

Armament: (4 Ponders)

* 1766: Launch configuration - 10 canons
* 1772: Exploration configuration - 16 canons

http://www.webng.com/moon2stu/GVHome.html

French Southern and Antarctic Terr SG237

Built as a gabarre (transport) in Bayonne, France for the French Navy.
April 1766 keel laid down.
Launched as the Le GROS VENTRE (Large belly)
Tonnage 400 ton burthen with a displacement of around 600 ton. Dim. 113.0 x 25 x 12 French feet, length of keel 100 French feet.
Armament 10 – 6pdr. guns.
Crew 73.
11 August 1766 taken up by the navy.
August 1767 commissioned.

16 January 1772 sailed together with Le FORTUNE from Port Louis, Mauritius for the first discovery voyage from Yves J. de Kerguelen de Tremarec. The Le GROSS VENTRE under command of Lieutenant Louis Aleno de Saint-Aloüarn.
At that time she carried an armament of 16 – 10pdr. guns. crewed with 120 men.
The two vessels sighted on 11 February mountainous land what is now known as the Kerguelen Islands.
Kerguelen believed that he discovered the southern continent, when visibility decreased by fog and falling snow the two ships lost sight of each other.
Thereafter the Le FORTUNE sailed via Mauritius back to France, to bring the news that the southern continent had been discovered.
The Le GROS VENTRE not knowing that the Le FORTUNE had left stayed behind
13 February 1772 a sub-lieutenant M de Boisguéhenneuc of the Le GROS VENTRE was sent by the ship-boat to the island and took possession of the island for the King of France Louis XV.
Captain Aloüarn decided to continue alone the voyage and 17 March he sighted the west coast of New Holland (Australia) entered Shark Bay on the west coast on 29 March 1771, and anchored in Turtle Bay.
30 March 1772 he send the ship boat ashore under command of the officer Mengaud de la Hage, 5 soldiers and the boat crew after landing took possession of the land on behalf of the King of France.
A flag was raised and a volley of riffle shots was fired.
A parchment document was read, and then inserted in a glass bottle which was buried on the northern cliff of Dirk Hartog Island; near it they buried two six franc coins.

08 April 1772 they sailed out of Shark Bay with course to Timor for fresh provision where they arrived on 3 May, at that time many of the crew were sick, not possible to get all the needed provision the Le GROS VENTRE left on 1 July and sailed for Batavia. After they got sufficient provision, on 8 August she sailed from Batavia heading for Ile de France (Mauritius), at that time Captain Aloüarn was sick from fevers contracted in Batavia.
In early September the Le GROS VENTRE arrived in Mauritius where Aloüarn was hospitalized, he died on 27 October 1772 there.

After arrival in Mauritius, the Le GROS VENTRE was decommissioned and used as a pontoon till 1779.

French Southern & Antarctic Territories sg169, scottC27. 1988 3f50 sg237, Scott?
France 1972 90c sg1948, Scott?
French Southern & Antarctic Terr. 2022 1.10 Euro sgMS?, Scott 673.

Source: Wikipedia and various other websites.








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