Jean-François de Galaup

Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, was a French naval officer and Pacific explorer whose expedition disappeared in 1788.

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Lapérouse expedition: A French scientific and exploratory voyage led by Lapérouse across the Pacific from 1785 to 1788. This was the voyage on which Lapérouse and his crews vanished.
French Navy: The naval service of France, responsible for maritime defense, warfare, and state-sponsored voyages. Lapérouse’s career and authority came from this institution.
Louis XVI: King of France from 1774 until the monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution. He commissioned the expedition and helped define its scientific and political aims.
Maritime archaeology: The study of human interaction with the sea through material remains in underwater and coastal settings. Archaeological work at Vanikoro has reconstructed the expedition’s final days.
Astrolabe (ship): A French frigate that sailed with Lapérouse’s expedition and was wrecked at Vanikoro. The Astrolabe was one of the expedition’s two ships lost near Vanikoro.
Pacific Ocean: Earth’s largest ocean, extending between Asia and Australia to the west and the Americas to the east. Its vast routes and island chains shaped the expedition’s course.
French colonization of the Pacific: France’s efforts to establish political and commercial influence across Pacific islands and territories. The voyage explored routes and places relevant to French expansion.
La Pérouse Museum: A museum in Albi, France, devoted to the life and voyages of Lapérouse. It preserves objects and records connected with the explorer’s legacy.
Boussole (ship): A French frigate that served as the flagship of Lapérouse’s expedition. Lapérouse commanded from this ship, which disappeared with its companion vessel.
James Cook: A British naval officer and explorer who led three major voyages of Pacific exploration. Lapérouse studied Cook’s charts and continued surveying parts of the Pacific he had explored.