Portrait of Kerguelen wearing a Navy Captain uniform.
Born
13 February 1734
Died
3 March 1797 (aged 63)
Yves Joseph Marie de Kerguelen-Trémarec (13 February 1734 – 3 March 1797) was a French Navy officer. He discovered the Kerguelen Islands in 1772 during his first expedition to the southern Indian Ocean. Welcomed as a hero after his voyage and first discovery, Kerguelen fell out of favour after his second voyage (1773-1774) and was cashiered in 1775 for violating Navy regulations. He was rehabilitated during the French Revolution.
Kerguelen authored books about expeditions and about French naval operations during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1767 he sailed near Rockall, or Rokol. Although he may not have approached within sight of it, or even within 150 miles, he appears to have had good information regarding it. His charted position for it was only 16 miles north of its actual position and he accurately described its appearance[1] and the nearby Helen's Reef: "East of Rokol, ¼ league away, there is a submerged rock over which the water breaks".[2] In 1771, he published a map of the area.
In his report to King Louis XV, he greatly overestimated the value of the Kerguelen Islands; consequently, the King sent him on a second expedition with the 64-gun Roland and the 32-gun frigate Oiseau, but was again unsuccessful in finding Terra Australis. By now, it had become clear that the Kerguelen islands were desolate and quite useless, and certainly not the Terra Australis. Upon his return, Kerguelen was court-martialled in Brest for bringing his mistress aboard, in defiance of Navy regulations. He was found guilty on 25 May 1776.[3]
Martin-Allanic, Jean-Étienne (1964). Bougainville Navigateur et les Découvertes de son Temps (in French). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. ISBN9787240006214. OCLC729759706.