Scientific Notes of Gaudichaud BeaupréBack to Gallery

Corvette L´Uranie in sections.

La Uranie was a Gabarra (in French gabare, Gros Ventre).
Starting from Kerguelen, this type of ship was very appreciated by the major explorers for its load capacity and stability in the water. The original name was “La Ciotat”, and for reasons of prestige has been reclassified corvette.

Built on a design by Jacques Noël Sané in 1811, tonnage 477 barrels, 36.38 m long, 9.10 m wide, 4.56 m. fishing.

The members of the expedition were 126 including 105 men crew.
The Corvette has been restored according to the experience of Louis de Saulces de Freycinet, with the most modern discoveries including: the cases of "white iron" (known as "English") for the storage of water, sealed boxes of the same material for biscuits and similar. For the first time was installed a large desalination plant and a smaller semi-portable.

Freycinet did add on the quarterdeck a "dunette" (poop) to host the couple during the journey and to expand the working space of the shipment. Within this there was a dining room, a hall and two rooms used as offices.

Formally had 16 guns of VIII and 2 of VI, but the information is not reliable, an Australian study of simple inferences without objective data to support the supposition that he had loaded only 6.

Among the more modern variety has loaded a supply of canned meat and vegetables under the new method of M. Appert. Other innovations have been a supply of gelatin to be added to cooked foods and biscuits with the addition of gelatin to improve the conservation and curbing the proliferation of worms. Finally, large supplies of fresh plant foods.

Freycinet has embarked a few live animals because they are not healthy to keep in a ship, because they need food supplies to feed and space to stow this food. Only towards the end of the trip has departed from this principle.