Uranie Bay facts for kids

Uranie Bay is a bay located in the northeast part of East Falkland, on the southern coast of Berkeley Sound. It is famous for a shipwreck that happened there a long time ago.

In February 1820, a French ship called L’Uranie got stuck on a hidden rock near Volunteer Point. This ship was a type of small warship called a corvette. It was on its way back to France after sailing almost all the way around the world! The crew hoped to fix the ship, but it was too damaged.

The 109 sailors and 23 officers were stranded on the Falkland Islands for two and a half months. At that time, the islands were not inhabited by people. The crew survived by hunting wild cattle and horses that had been left on the islands for emergencies. When those animals were hard to find, they even hunted penguins!

Rescue and New Adventures

After some time, the stranded crew was rescued by an American ship called the Mercury. This ship was carrying weapons and supplies for rebels in Chile who were fighting for their independence.

The captain of L’Uranie, Louis de Freycinet, first rented the Mercury. Then, once they were at sea, he bought it! He renamed the ship La Physicienne and sailed it back to France. They stopped in Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro on their way home.

A Secret Passenger

The voyage of L’Uranie was special because it was the first scientific trip sent out from France after the Napoleonic Wars. But there was a big secret on board: the captain's wife, Rose de Freycinet, had secretly joined the ship! She dressed as a man to get on board in Toulon.

Rose kept a diary, which gives us a great look into what life was like for the crew when they were stranded. It also tells about the tricky talks to get rescued. Just before leaving the Falklands, Rose and her husband even had dinner with James Weddel, a famous explorer who wrote about the meeting in his own diary.

Later Visits to the Bay

In November 1822, Uranie Bay was visited again by Louis Isidore Duperrey. He had been a young officer on L’Uranie and now had his own ship, the Coquille. He found that the old shipwreck had been badly damaged by crews from whaling ships that had visited Berkeley Sound. What was left of the ship was half-buried in the sand.

Uranie Bay in the Falklands War

During the Falklands War in 1982, Uranie Bay was considered as a possible landing spot for British forces. It was thought to be a good place for a direct attack. However, the area was heavily guarded by Argentine soldiers. It was also close enough to Stanley and Hooker Point to be in range of dangerous Exocet missiles. Because of these dangers, the British forces chose to land at San Carlos Water instead.

See also

• In Spanish: Bahía Urania para niños