The ASTROLABE was a 380 tons corvette which was launched in 1811 under the name La COQUILLE. She was used to chart the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea and in 1822 she set out on her first world voyage under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Duperrey. Then in 1825 she was renamed l’ASTROLABE  in memory of La Pérouse.  At that time, she set sail on her second voyage of discovery under the command of Captain Dumont d’Urville.

On 26th February 1828, Captain Dumont d’Urville discovered the place in Vanikoro where the ships of La Pérouse had been stranded. On 7th September 1837, after lengthy preparations, L’ASTROLABE set sail accompanied by ZELEE and headed towards Terra del Fuego and the Atlantic Ocean.   However, it was only on his second expedition that Dumont d’Urville discovered a country in Antartica which he named “Terre Adélie” according to his wife’s name.

L’ASTROLABE completed her last voyage between 1844 and 1850 along the coasts of South America