French icebreaker Astrolabe
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
research vessel.
Among its duties are bring personnel and supplies to the Dumont d'Urville research station in Antarctica.
The vessel has been making regular voyages between Hobart and the Dumont D’Urville research station for fifteen years.
The vessel has also traversed the Northeast passage.
The European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
reports a 1992 traverse "was the first civilian expedition through the NSR since the Russian revolution. Astrolabe was escorted on her transit by Russian icebreakers.
The vessel was serviced in the Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n shipyard Southern Marine Shiplift.
The yard's maximum ship displacement is 2150 Tonnes.
Astrolabe is among the smallest research vessels working in Antarctic waters.
2005 man overboard incident
On January 27, 2005, a crew member was found to have gone overboard.The missing crew member's body was found. A report by the Australian Transport Safety Board concluded his injury would have been avoided if the block he was using to recover the ship's boat had been equipped with hand holds. The report noted that the deceased crew member was found with a high blood alcohol level. He had been seen to be depressed, prior to his death, and the report concluded he had jumped or fallen overboard under the influence of alcohol.
2010 Antarctica helicopter crash
On October 28, 2010, a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter which operated between the ship and the Dumont d'Urville StationDumont d'Urville Station
The Dumont d'Urville Station is a French scientific station located in Antarctica on Île des Pétrels, archipelago of Pointe Géologie in Adélie Land. It is named after explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville...
crashed in bad weather en-route to the station. All 4 on board were killed.
Specifications
| Length | 65.36 metres | ||||
| Beam | 13.06 metres | ||||
| Moulded depth | 5.36 metres | ||||
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| service speed | 12 knots | ||||
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| aircraft | equipped with a helipad atop the enclosed cargo area |