Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux

Joseph -Antoine -Raymond Bruny d' Entrecasteaux ( born November 8, 1737 Aix -en- Provence, † July 20, 1793 in front of the Hermit Islands, Manus / Papua New Guinea province ), French navigator and explorer.

Life

D' Entrecasteaux was one of a small noble family of Provence, and was educated in a Jesuit school. He wanted himself to join the Jesuit order, which prevented his father and brought him to 17 years for the French Navy.

After taking part in sea battles at Mallorca further career was rather quiet. D' Entrecasteaux discovered a new route between the Empire of China and the Spice Islands, and was appointed governor of Mauritius.

In the summer of 1788 reached the last news of the expedition of Jean -François de La Pérouse France. Then the two ships of La Perouse remained missing. This was shortly before the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Was only after two years, the situation had calmed down as far in September 1791 that the National Assembly would send out two ships to search for La Pérouse. The order got d' Entrecasteaux and Huon de Kermadec Breton Jean Michel.

That same month, on September 28, 1791 in Brest caught by the two in the lake. D' Entrcasteaux was appointed before departure to Rear Admiral and commanded the frigate La Recherche ( " searching" ), Houn Kermadec commanded the very similar L' Esperance ( " Hope" ).

The search for the lost heroes of La Pérouse came to disaster. The officers and crew were politically divided into Royalists and Republicans fought bitterly. And except the officers were still quite a few researchers on board, often representing their own interests. Among these was created especially of the hydrograph Charles Beautemps - Beaupre, the excellent until today canceled charts of large areas. Thanks to its maps, the trip was not a complete intellectual failure. Also, the botanist Jacques Julien Houton de Labillardiere took part in this expedition.

The two ships cruised in the South Seas and went various leads, but found neither La Pérouse nor his ship. Only Jules Dumont d' Urville found 35 years later the wreck of La Pérouse's expedition ship. After all, researched and discovered Bruny d' Entrecasteaux and Huon Kermadec in their search many previously little-known areas. The Huon Gulf at Lae, the Trobriand Islands (after Lieutenant Denis de Trobriand of the l' Esperance), the Cape Cretin (after Lieutenant Lionel Cretin of the La Recherche ), the D' Entrecasteaux Islands (all in Papua New Guinea ), and a number of islands, reefs, rivers and sea lanes in and around Australia (among the D' Entrecasteaux channel ) were after the two captains, named their officers and the ships.

After nearly two years of searching, the two captains died in quick succession. Huon Kermadec died of phthisis in Balade harbor, d' Entrecasteaux from scurvy on July 20, 1793 at sea off the Hermit Islands in the north of New Guinea. He was one of the few captains who died of vitamin deficiency disease.

The new commanders were extremely royalist d' Auribeau and EPE de Rossel, another officer of La Recherche. As d' Auribeau of the execution of Louis XVI. and heard the terror of the Revolution, he betrayed his ship and handed it to the next port the Dutch. Shortly thereafter, he died. De Rossel ship fell into the hands of the British, and only in 1802 the trip report and the scientific results were given to France.

Ambiguity of the name

There are several spellings of d' Entrecasteaux ' names. Times cited as the first first name Antoine, Joseph times. Bruny, which is actually part of the surname is also frequently written Bruni. It is undisputed that d' Entrecasteaux, and under this name the discoverer is usually recorded and so hot ( with the exception of Bruny Iceland ) all geographic locations that were named after him.