ufo_data/bin/rr0/tran1786.md



- France organized one of the largest maritime expeditions in the Pacific Ocean, to New Zealand and Australia. Two magnificent ships filled with scientists, cartographers, astronomers, botanists, the *Boussole* and the *Astrolabe*, sailed the waters. After reaching Australia, they headed towards the New Hebrides to continue their exploration, when one day they were never heard from again. No trace of the ships was found. An investigation was unable to give an exact picture of the origin of the drama. The *Pérouse*, like so many others, experienced a destiny that remained obscure. It was not until the 1820s that Dumont d'Urville and then Peter Dillon found traces of the shipwreck; and much later, in 1962, the remains of the *Boussole* were discovered. [\[see Dominique Césari, *[Le naufrage au Port des Français](http://perso.club-internet.fr/cesarigd/parcsafabriques/mere/naufrageLPF.htm)*\]]{.source}