Jules de Blosseville

Who was Jules de Blosseville?

Jules-Alphonse-René Poret baron de Blosseville was a French naval officer, geographer and explorer.

In 1818, he volunteered for the marine and joined an expedition to the Antilles and Cayenne. Again in 1819, he was on expedition to the West Indies. 1822-1825, he was junior officer on the circumnavigation on "la Coquille". During 1823 in the Tahiti region, de Blosseville became acquainted with Captain John Dibbs of the colonial barque "Endeavour" and returned to Maupiti Island to map it for the "la Coquille" expedition.

In 1827, he was on expedition on the "la Chevrette" to India and Burma. In 1828, he was made lieutenant and participated in mapping of the Mediterranean. In 1833, he was made commander of "La Lilloise" and an expedition to the Denmark Strait. After a stay in Iceland, during which de Blosseville posted a preliminary report, the vessel disappeared at sea.

His name is commemorated in the name of the Blosseville Coast - the inhospitable coast of southeast Greenland between the fjord Kangerdlugsuaqq 68°N and Cape Brewster 70° 10'N.