Chevalier Entrecasteaux

(Joseph Antoine de Bruni). Born 1739 in Aix, France; died July 20, 1793, in the Pacific Ocean. French navigator. Served in the navy.

From 1791 to 1793, d’Entrecasteaux led an expedition in search of J. la Pérouse. For two years his detachment explored the southern, eastern, and western coastal regions of Australia and the southwestern Pacific Ocean. During the expedition he discovered the d’Entrecasteaux Islands, the Kermadec Islands, and the Trobriand archipelago and, together with the hydrographer C. Beautemps-Beaupré, conducted a survey of the coasts of Tasmania, New Caledonia, and the southern and northern coasts of New Guinea. He died during the voyage.