Hermann von Spaun

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Hermann von Spaun (Photo by Ludwig Grillich, before 1905)

Hermann Freiherr von Spaun (* 9 May 1833 in Vienna , † 28. May 1919 in Gorizia ) was an imperial Austro-Hungarian Admiral and naval commander 1898-1904.

family

He came from an originally Swabian family, whose lineage begins with the farmer and Garnsieder Bartholomäus Spaun , documented 1583–1599, in Deisenhausen ( Günzburg district ) and which later became prosperous in Linz ( Austria ). He was the son of the in 1859 in the Austrian baron raised kk Hofrat and Lotto gradient director Joseph von Spaun (1788-1865), honorary citizen of Vienna and Cieszyn , and Franziska Roner Noble of honorary value (1795-1890).

Spaun married Emma Lobmeyr on April 28, 1892 in Trieste (* May 8, 1862 in Vienna , † January 22, 1904 Gorizia ), a granddaughter of the founder of the famous Viennese glass trading house and niece of the industrialist and patron Ludwig Lobmeyr . She used to walk a cheetah on a leash.

Life

Portrait of Viktor Stauffer in the Army History Museum

Spaun joined the Imperial and Royal Navy in 1850 as a provisional naval cadet , spent his cadet years exclusively at sea on various ships and became a frigate ensign in 1853. In 1859 he took part in the war against France and Sardinia as first officer on the Goelette Artemisia - meanwhile advanced to the position of frigate lieutenant . He took part in the war against Denmark in 1864 as first officer of the tank frigate Don Juan d'Austria in the North Sea . At the beginning of the war year 1866 he was in command of the steamer Andreas Hofer , but soon he was assigned as 2nd in command of the armored frigate Archduke Ferdinand Max . With this ship he took part in the reconnaissance campaign against Ancona on June 20, and finally in the naval battle of Lissa on July 20 . For his bravery he was awarded the Order of the Iron Crown III. Class.

From 1867 onwards, he was in command of Goelette Saïda for two years . In 1869 he was promoted to corvette captain and assigned to command of the gunboat Hum . Frigate captain since 1871 , he was sent to London in 1873 as a naval attaché. For six years he represented the Austrian Navy in Great Britain and gained important insights into the conditions of the then most important sea power in the world. From 1879 to 1883 he was assigned to Archduke Karl Stephan and traveled with him on the Saïda to Brazil and North America. In 1884 he was entrusted with the command of the casemate ship Tegetthoff , in order to then lead the Crown Prince couple 's journey to the Orient as commander of the imperial yacht Miramar .

During the summer maneuvers of 1885 he led the casemate ship Prinz Eugen and was immediately appointed commodore and commander of a ship division in the Mediterranean. With her he was involved in the blockade of the Greek coast in 1886. In the same year he was appointed Rear-Admiral promoted and put in charge of the marine technical committees. During the summer exercises of the following year, as squad commander, he was in command of the entire fleet.

At the international maritime conference in Washington in 1889 he represented the Austrian government and also led the fleet delegations to the Columbus celebrations in Genoa in 1892 and in 1897 for the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. After he had been promoted to Vice Admiral in 1892 , he took over the deputy of the naval commander, Admiral Daublebsky von Sterneck in October 1897. After his death on December 12, 1898, he was appointed his successor as naval commander and head of the naval section of the Austro-Hungarian War Ministry . On May 1, 1899, he was promoted to admiral. In 1902 he was appointed a member of the manor house of the Austrian Imperial Council.

After almost seven years of activity and a total of 54 years of service, he retired on November 1, 1904 at his own request, which he spent mainly in Gorizia. He had contributed significantly to the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Navy .

Spaun had been appointed to the Austro-Hungarian Privy Council . The kuk Rapidkreuzer Admiral Spaun was named after him as a sign of special appreciation for his services . Spaun was the only living namesake of an Austro-Hungarian warship that was not a member of the imperial house . There is an oil painting with his portrait in the marine hall of the Vienna Army History Museum .

literature

Web links

Commons : Hermann von Spaun  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Local messages. In the castle Weilburg are present…. In:  Badener Bezirks-Blatt , June 11, 1881, p. 2 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / bbb
predecessor Office successor
Maximilian Daublebsky von Sterneck Navy commander
1897–1904 		Rudolf of Montecuccoli
personal data
SURNAME Spaun, Hermann von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spaun, Hermann Freiherr von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austro-Hungarian admiral
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1833
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1919
Place of death Gorizia