Who is Francis Beaufort, the inventor of the scale that determines wind and sea conditions in shipping?
He is famous as the creator of the Bofor Wind Scale, which measures the speed of winds experimentally. Beaufort retired from the navy in 1829, at the age of 55, and was appointed hydrographer to the British admiralty, a position he held for 25 years.
Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857), an Irish hydrographer and naval commander in the British Navy, came from a Huguenot family that settled in Ireland after the night of Saint Barthélemy (23-24 August 1572). He is famous as the creator of the Bofor Wind Scale, which measures the speed of winds experimentally.
Sir Francis Beaufort (27 May 1774 – 17 December 1857) was an Anglo-Irish hydrographer, the creator of the Beaufort cipher and the Beaufort scale, and a naval officer.
Although he abandoned his studies for sailing when he was still in his teens, Beaufort came into contact with the recognized scientists of his time and became a member of institutions such as the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society.
After his shipwreck at the age of 15 due to a map error, he regularly engaged in the training of sailors and the production of maritime charts containing accurate information.
His rapid rise to the upper levels of the naval forces (from naval officer to first lieutenant, to commander, and finally to the rank of admiral) not only proves his inclination towards the maritime profession, but also includes his astronomical observations, his expertise on the latitudes and longitudes of geography, and his research on coastlines.
What does BFT mean in maritime?
Beaufort wind intensity scale is a scale invented by Sir Captain Francis Beaufort that tries to determine the wind and sea conditions in shipping based on visual observations.
From July 1811 to June 1812, Beaufort explored the coasts of southern Anatolia from Lycia (Antalya, Fethiye, and north-western regions) to Iskenderun, located many ancient ruins, and drew maps of the coasts. His work is interrupted by the Ottomans, who attack the boat crew near Adana; Beaufort himself is seriously injured during this attack. He returned to England in 1817 and published his travelogue. In addition to high-fidelity drawings and maps, this publication contains inscriptions and quotes from Strabo, Livius, Herodotus, Plutarch, and Pliny.
Beaufort retired from the navy in 1829, at the age of 55, and was appointed hydrographer to the British admiralty, a position he held for 25 years. He transformed an insignificant map warehouse he received into the world's largest map research institute and left it as a cultural legacy to society. During his service, he supported many researchers, and some of the most important observatories and most important expeditions were under his control (Antarctica, South America, Europe, Darwin expeditions, Galapagos islands, etc.).
He was awarded the title of knight in 1848. The written texts that remain from him consist of a large number of articles and correspondence. Additionally, three places, two small islands, and a sea bear his name.