Photo album: "Back to Dumont d'Urville"

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After having broken ice for three days, Thala Dan arrives finally close to Pétrels island, on Tuesday December 19th, 1972. The unloading of the ship begins the next day. Let's have a quick look around to see the new buildings and a few aspects of the austral summertime landscape, particularly during tempests.

On Sunday December 17th, we are still 12 kilometres from Dumont d'Urville base, the ice pack is becoming more and more compact. We have to break through the ice, fortunately not too thick. It will take us three days to cover these last kilometres.

Small iceberg in front of Astrolabe glacier.

We arrive, at last, in view of Pétrels island.

View from the helicopter of Pétrels island, its dimensions are approximately 800 metres by 600 metres. We can see new buildings on the base compared to 1968: the two-store building for the winter over team on the left of "labo 2", the radome for the satellites receiving antenna (we constructed during the1970-71 summer campaign) between the "labo 1" and the "labo 2" and the shelter for met balloon launching on the right of "labo 1"

This closer picture during the turn just before landing allows to have a better view of the winter team building and of the satellites radome.

We could see the beginning of construction of the building for the winter team during the 1967-68 summer campaign. It is called here the "42" according to the serial number of the buildings on the base. It contains personal rooms for the winter over team, toilets, the chief of district's office (campaign manager), the hospital with the physician's office, the operation theatre, the dentist room, the room for sick person.

The new shelter for the meteorological balloons launching. This picture has been taken during the 1971-72 summer campaign as it was being built, after the fire that destructed the former one in 1970. It is a metallic building which doesn't fear fires and, most importantly, helium has replaced hydrogen to inflate the balloons.

Inside the sojourn building, the dining room is set for the meal.

The library in the same building.  During the next winter campaign, in July 1973, fire, probably started by a short circuit in the kitchen, will spread everywhere inside the building. Everything inside the building will be damaged, partly by the fire, but mainly by the black smoke which will deposit everywhere. The building will be restored, at the beginning of 1974, and the control equipments as well as the safety procedures will be strengthened.

During the 1970-71 summer campaign, to install the new equipments of the satellite receiving station, the IONO laboratory has been completely renewed and enlarged with the addition of the adjoining medical room, after the physician had moved into building 42.

Overview before beginning to work for the summer campaign. At sunset, the sun lights the corner of building 42 and the tongue of Astrolabe glacier.

Different aspects of the sea during austral summer tempests.

According to the light, the same landscape looks different.

Tempest under the sun.

Tempest with flying snow.

At midnight in summer, the sun disappears for a few moments behind the continent.

The Lion islet under the moonlight, seen from Pétrels island. We understand on this picture the origin of its name, because this islet evoke very well the silhouette of a resting lion. Some years later the islet will become a platform at the end of an air strip which will never be used, then it will become a wharf for the supply ship.

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