Namesake Astrolabe Yard number 567 Length 66 m | Port of registry Marseille, France Completed 1 January 1986 | |
 | ||
Name Fort Resolution (1986–1988)
Austral Fish (1988)
L'Astrolabe (1988–) Owner P&O Maritime Services (France) Builders British Shipbuilders, Glasgow | ||
L'Astrolabe is a French icebreaking research vessel. Her duties include bringing 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. L'Astrolabe is among the smallest research vessels working in Antarctic waters.
Contents
- 1992 Northeast Passage
- 2013 Antarctic Ocean rescue mission
- 2005 man overboard incident
- 2010 Antarctica helicopter crash
- References
The vessel is frequently serviced in the Tasmanian shipyard Southern Marine Shiplift in Launceston. The yard's maximum ship displacement is 2150 Tonnes.
L'Astrolabe will be replaced by a new icebreaker bearing the same name in 2017.
1992 Northeast Passage
The vessel has also traversed the Northeast passage. The European Space Agency reports a 1992 traverse "was the first civilian expedition through the NSR since the Russian revolution." L'Astrolabe was escorted on her transit by Russian icebreakers.
2013 Antarctic Ocean rescue mission
L'Astrolabe attempted to reach Akademik Shokalskiy, trapped by an outbreak of old glacial ice in the Antarctic Ocean. L'Astrolabe didn't match Chinese research vessel Xuě Lóng's 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) from the trapped Russian ship, but got closer than the Australian Aurora Australis' 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi). Withdrawing after encountering heavy ice, she subsequently supported further attempts by Xuě Lóng and Aurora Australis to reach Akademik Shokalskiy and rescue her passengers.
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.
During the recovery of his body the second engineer's hand was seriously injured, and he was at risk of losing his thumb. 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 Station crashed in bad weather en route to the station. All 4 on board were killed.