Giovan Battista Magnaghi
Giovan Battista Magnaghi (born March 28, 1839 in Lomello , † June 21, 1902 in Rome ) was an Italian admiral , oceanographer , scientist and inventor .
life and work
Magnaghi entered the Naval School of Genoa in 1851 at the age of twelve through the mediation of Camillo Benso von Cavour . At the age of 16 he left school with the rank of ensign. For his services at the Siege of Gaeta in 1860 and the Battle of Lissa in 1866, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy .
In order to become more independent from the nautical charts of French and English cartographers, the Italian naval ministry began to set up a hydrographic service at that time. Magnaghi was commissioned to study the organization of such services in Monaco , Paris and London and to organize the planning of such a service in Italy. After he submitted his report on this in 1886, he began to procure new nautical instruments for the fleet and for the creation of nautical charts. He was the first director of the Genoa Scientific Hydrographic Institute, founded in 1872 and still in existence today .
As an inventor, Magnaghi designed or improved many nautical tools. For example, he designed a forerunner of the nansen bottle for taking deep water samples and a thermometer for measuring the temperature in deep water. He also developed the first spherical compass for the Italian Navy, which can show the direction regardless of the ship's position and is largely unaffected by inclination, as well as many other instruments. Under his leadership, around 75% of the Italian coast was re-measured.
As the commander of the research vessel Washington , he carried out astronomical survey work as well as geodetic, hydrographic and oceanographic investigations. The Navy elevated him to the rank of admiral in 1888. After his promotion he left the institute and took over ministerial duties. In 1900 he was appointed to the XXI. Elected parliamentary term to the Camera dei Deputati , where he spoke on the budget for the Navy and the arsenal of Taranto . He died before the end of the legislative period and was commemorated in both chambers on the day of his death.
He died in Rome on June 21, 1902 and was buried in Genoa in the Staglieno cemetery.
Honors
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Two ships of the Italian Navy were named after Magnaghi. The first entered service in 1918 and undertook oceanographic expeditions to the Red Sea and the Strait of Sicily. It was scrapped in 1945.
The second ship, the Magnaghi (A 5303) , was the Italian Navy's first hydro-oceanographic research vessel. The ship is still in operation today.
Magnaghi was a member of the Accademia dei Lincei .
literature
- Ana Maria Millan Gasca: Magnaghi, Giovan Battista. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 67: Macchi – Malaspina. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2006.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Admiral Magnaghi on the website of the Italian Ministry of Defense
- ^ Istituto Idrografico della Marina
- ↑ Entry in the Portale storico of the Camera dei deputati
- ^ Magnaghi at the Italian Ministry of Defense
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Magnaghi, Giovan Battista |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian admiral, oceanographer, scientist and inventor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1839 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lomello |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 21, 1902 |
| Place of death | Rome |