Jean-Baptiste Charcot , born with Neuilly-sur-Seine the July 15th 1867 and dead at sea the September 16th 1936, is a doctor and an explorer of the French polar zones.

Biography

• Born the July 15th, 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, he is the son of the famous doctor Jean-Martin Charcot.
• Of 1876 with 1885, it attends the Alsatian École, there practices much the sport (Boxe, Rugby, Escrime) and writes the adventures of a three-masted ship in Patagonie for a small illustrated newspaper. The summer, it practices the sail with Ouistreham.
• Of 1883 with 1887, it goes on many journeys with his/her father (Wales, the Shetland, islands Hébrides, Faroe Islands, in Iceland, Jan Mayen, Holland, Spain and Morocco, and will keep a true phobia of the too hot countries.
• In 1888, it carries out its military service in the Alpine hunters in the auxiliary capacity as doctor.
• In 1891, it is received with the contest of boarding school and accomplishes a voyage in Russia with his/her father with whom it works.
• In 1892, it buys its first yacht, a Sloop of 8,30 m with which it learns with régater.
• In 1893, his/her father, Jean-Martin Charcot, dies of a edema of the lung. Is Jean-Baptiste made build his first Pourquoi-Pas? , a Cutter of 19,50 Mr.
• In 1894, it carries out a two weeks cruising. He is finalist of the Championnat of France of Rugby to XV with the Olympic one of Paris, at the station of right pillar.
• In 1895, it is received Doctor of medicine with the faculty of Paris. It is champion of France of Rugby to XV with the Olympic one of Paris, at the station of right pillar.
• In 1896, it marries Jeanne Hugo, the grand-daughter of Victor Hugo, divorced his friend of studies Leon Daudet, and resells its boat which it replaces by a Goélette out of wood of 26 m, the Pourquoi-Pas? II .
• In 1897, it changes boat, for an iron goélette of 31 m, with engine steam, the Pourquoi-Pas? III .
• In 1898, it goes up the the Nile until Assouan in company of the Vanderbilt billionaire.
• In 1899, allured by the modifications and the improvements made by the intermediate owner, it repurchases his old goélette, the Pourquoi-Pas? II , and will cross in British water.
• In 1902, it sails towards the Iceland and crosses for the first time the Arctic Circle and approaches the ices. He becomes also naval officer.

Forwardings in the Antarctic

• In 1903, it makes build with Saint-Malo a three-masted ship goélette of 32 m, the French and assembles the first French forwarding to the Antarctic which winters under the wind of the Wandel island.
• In 1905, forwarding, leaves on March 4th, the Antarctic peninsula. The wintering occurred well and the scientific objectives are exceeded: 1.000 km of recognized and raised new coasts, 3 detailed sea charts, 75 cases of observations, notes, measurements and collections intended for the Natural history museum of Natural history of Paris. The boat is resold with the Argentinian navy. On its return in France, Charcot divorces his wife and settles in her Jeanne sister, with her Marion daughter.
• In 1907, it remarie, on January 24th, with Marguerite Cléry, painter who will often accompany it in his voyages, and they have a girl, Monique, born on December 8th. It launches a new Antarctic forwarding and begins construction from new a Pourquoi-Pas? IV , polar boat of exploration of 40 m gréé in the barque, equipped with an engine and comprising three laboratories and a library.
• Of 1908 with 1910, Charcot leaves, in August, to winter in the Petermann island for its second polar forwarding. Forwarding is of return in France in June 1910 after a new rich wintering on the scientific level. The layout of the Ground Alexandre Ier and a new ground is discovered, the Ground of Charcot. But Charcot was victim of the Scorbut and returns considerably weakened.
• the results of forwarding are considerable and include/understand: oceanographical measurements (salinity, survey), statements of meteorology, a study of the tides, a study of magnetism, collections of Zoology and botany entrusted to the Natural history museum and the Oceanographical Institute of Monaco and the cartographic statement of 2.000 km coasts.
• In 1911, birth of Martine, her third daughter.
• In 1912 the Pourquoi-Pas? IV becomes the first Navire-école navy.

Its missions as a soldier

• Of 1914 with 1918, during the war:
• It is initially mobilized as doctor of marine of first class and affected at the hospital of Cherbourg.
• In July 1915, it obtains British Admiralty the command of a ship especially studied and built by the British for hunting for the submarines.
• In 1916, it succeeds in convincing the French Navy to build with Nantes 3 cargo liner-traps for the anti-submarine fight, with crews disguised as sailors of trade. Affected with the command of the first built, it bourlingue during two years along the Breton coasts and Normans.
• Charcot finishes the war with the Military Crosses British then French and a mention in dispatches for its acts of courage.
• Of 1918 with 1925, Charcot, assembles the hierarchical ranks (sign of reserve, lieutenant, lieutenant commander) and is named commander in 1923. During does this period, it carry out with its ship the Pourquoi-Pas? IV of the scientific expeditions in the Bay of Biscay, in Handle, in the North Atlantic, in the Mediterranean and in the Faroe Islands, mainly for studies of lithology and underwater geology by means of dredgings, of which Charcot developed the material and the methods.

Chief of the polar missions

• Starting from 1925, reached by the age limit, it loses the command of the ship, but remains on board in the capacity as chief of the missions. The ship will carry out multiple navigations towards the ices of the Arctic.
• In 1926, it is elected free member of the Academy of Science and is seen entrusting a mission to the Earth of Jameson. It explores the Eastern coast of the Greenland and brings back an abundant harvest of fossils and many samples of insects and flora.
• In 1928, the Pourquoi-Pas? IV and the cruiser Strasbourg vainly leaves to research the large Hydravion French “Latham 47” missing with on his board the large Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen whereas themselves were with the research of the Italian general Nobile left to fly over the North pole on board the Dirigeable Italia and which one is without news.
• In 1929, it is received with the Académie of Navy.
• Starting from 1930, Charcot prepares the International Polar Année.
• In 1931 with 1933, it deals with the definition of the mission, the installation and the organization of the station of Scoresby Sund with the assistance of scientists, the local Danish authorities and the labor of the country.
• In 1934, it installs with the Greenland the ethnographic mission directed by Paul-Emile Victor, which remains during one year with Angmagssalik to live in the middle of a population eskimo.
• In 1935, it returns to seek Victor and his three companions (Gessain, Pérez and Matter) and continues the establishment of the cartography of these areas. The September 16th, a true cyclone devastates the coasts of Iceland and the boat manages to take refuge in a small port.

• In September 1936, from return of mission to the Greenland, where it went to deliver scientific material to the mission of Paul-Emile Victor and which has just crossed the ice cap in 50 days, after having fulfilled a mission of survey, the Pourquoi-Pas? IV makes a stopover with Reykjavik on September 3rd to repair the boiler of the boat. They set out again on September 15th for Saint-Malo, but the boat is taken on September 16th in a violent cyclonic storm and loses body and goods on the reefs of Alftanes. The shipwreck made 23 died and 17 missings, and only one survivor, the douarnenist Eugene Gonidec, said Pingouin . He will tell that the commander Charcot, including/understanding the inevitable destruction of the Pourquoi-Pas? IV on the reefs, released from its cage a gull which was the mascot of the edge.

Jean-Baptiste Charcot, dead at sea, is buried with Paris with the cemetery Montmartre, on October 12th after national funeral.

Others

• In 1904, the success of its forwarding had been celebrated with the Champagne “Red Mumm Cordon”. The Mumm house published for the centenary of the crossing a box called “Red Cord Antartic” with a champagne with the grapefruit and lemon notes.
• In homage to Jean-Baptiste Charcot, a nursery school and primary in the commune of Maule, in Yvelines (78) bears the name of the famous sailor.
• a school in Morocco, sharpened with the network of the French public schools abroad bears its name to El Jadida.

Works

• Voyage to the south pole (1903-1905) , Gelly Bookstore, 1971
• “Why not? ” in the Antarctic 1908-1910 , Arthaud, Paris, 1996
• Sea of Greenland , GNGL Productions, 1998