Astrolabe in French Pass — D'Urville's Brush With Disaster

Astrolabe in French Pass depicts a harrowing moment in D'Urville's Pacific exploration: the French corvette Astrolabe attempting to navigate Te Aumiti, a notorious passage between the islands that would later bear the captain's name.

In January 1827, Captain Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville sought a shortcut through what Europeans called "French Pass" — a channel barely 80 metres wide, scoured by violent 8-knot currents and infamous for its whirlpools. With favourable winds and expert seamanship, the Astrolabe began the passage. But as the ship reached the narrowest section, the wind died completely.

Caught in the grip of the current, the Astrolabe struck the rocky bottom twice. In the second impact the ship heeled over so dramatically that crew members feared she would capsize.

Astrolabe refloated and managed to escape the pass — but not before losing part of her keel and leaving her name permanently inscribed on the European map. "Passe de Francais" would commemorate both her near-loss and France's role in Pacific exploration.

This painting draws inspiration from Astrolabe's official artist, Louis August de Sainson, who documented the expedition and this dramatic moment — the heeled ship, the foaming water, the steep forested cliffs. Signed GS lower right, and dated 25 in the lower left.