Erste österreichische Samothrake-Expedition

First Austrian Samothrace expedition

Background and objectives

On 17 January 1873, Emperor Franz Josef I approved the funds for the first Austrian Samothrace expedition, which was so successful that another excavation campaign was made possible in 1875. Both expeditions were substantially supported by the Austro-Hungarian Navy by providing a warship for each expedition.

The staff and crews of the ships were not only assigned to provide logistical support for the expeditions and to protect the participants, they were also used for scientific tasks. Expedition director Alexander Conze noted: "Staff and crews earned their merits in several respects for the exploration of Samothrace".

During the first expedition in 1873, the screw corvette Zrinyi was deployed. The corvette was under the command of frigate captain Josef Lang and had been stationed in Smyrna as a station ship since the end of March 1873, when it was made available to the expedition by the naval command for a period of four to six weeks.