The ''Recherche'' was a 20-gun ''Marsouin''-class
scow of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...
, later reclassified as a 12-gun frigate. She earned fame as one of the ships of
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux () (8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while ...
' expedition, along with
''Espérance''.
Recherche Bay
Recherche Bay ( ) is an oceanic embayment, part of which is listed on the National Heritage Register, located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia. It was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux expedition to find missin ...
in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
was named after her.
Career
The ship was built as ''Truite'' and served under this name until July 1791, when she was renamed to ''Recherche'' and recommissioned as a 12-gun frigate.
She departed from Brest on 29 September 1791 for an exploration mission in search of Lapérouse, sailing to New Caledonia.
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux () (8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while ...
died aboard on 21 July 1793.
Fate
On 28 October 1793, Recherche was captured by the Dutch at
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Java and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern border of Java island, on the Mad ...
, only to be returned to France in February 1794. She was sold to Holland in September and sold for scrap two months later.
Sources and references
* Jean-Michel Roche, ''Dictionnaire de la flotte française de 1671 à nos jours'', Tome I, p. 372
See also
*
European and American voyages of scientific exploration
The era of European and American voyages of scientific exploration followed the Age of Discovery and were inspired by a new confidence in science and reason that arose in the Age of Enlightenment. Maritime expeditions in the Age of Discovery were ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recherche (1787)
Exploration ships
1787 ships