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Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734 - March 3, 1797) was a French explorer.
During the Seven Years' War, Kerguelen-Trémarec was a privateer, but without much success.
In 1772, he sailed to the Antarctic, in search of the fabled Terra Australis, where he discovered the Kerguelen Islands and took possession of various territories for France. He was accompanied by the naturalist Jean Guillaume Bruguière.
In his report to King Louis XV, he greatly overestimated the value of the Kerguelen Islands; consequently, he was sent off on a second expedition, again reaching Kerguelen. By now, it had become clear that these islands were desolate and quite useless, and certainly not the Terra Australis. On his return, Kerguelen-Trémarec was sent to prison.
During the French Revolution, he was seen as a victim of the Ancien Régime and restored to his position. He died in 1797 as a Rear Admiral and commander of the port of Brest.
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