Benedetto Brin (17 May 1833 in

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24 May 1898 in

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) was an Italian naval administrator and politician. He played a major role in modernizing and expanding the Italian (Royal Navy) from the 1870s to the 1890s, designing several major classes of warships, including the large

ironclad warship An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. T ...

s of the , , and es, the

pre-dreadnought battleship Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, prote ...

s of the and es, and the

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

s of the and es. His contributions to Italian naval power were marked by the naming of the second ''Regina Margherita''-class battleship as , among other commemorations.

Biography

Born in

, he worked with distinction as a

naval engineer A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

until the age of forty. In 1873, Admiral Simone Antonio Saint-Bon, Italy's Naval Minister, appointed him undersecretary of state. The two men collaborated on major projects: Saint-Bon conceived a type of ship, Brin made the plans and directed its construction. On the advent of the

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

to power in 1876, Brin was appointed Naval Minister by

Agostino Depretis Agostino Depretis (31 January 181329 July 1887) was an Italian statesman and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Italy for several stretches between 1876 and 1887, and was leader of the Historical Left parliamentary group for more than a de ...

, a capacity in which he continued the policies of Saint-Bon, while enlarging and completing the project in such way as to form the first organic scheme for the development of the Italian fleet. The huge ironclads of the and es were his work, though he briefly abandoned their type in favor of smaller and faster

s of the and the es, before returning to large

capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic im ...

s with the s and later the of

s. Through his initiative, the Italian naval industry, almost non-existent in 1873, made rapid progress. During his eleven years in the ministry (1876–1878 with Depretis, 1884–1891 with Depretis and

Francesco Crispi Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the architect ...

, 1896–1898 with

Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì Antonio Starrabba (o Starabba), Marquess of Rudinì (16 April 18397 August 1908) was an Italian statesman, Prime Minister of Italy between 1891 and 1892 and from 1896 until 1898. Biography Early life and patriotic activities He was born in Pal ...

), he succeeded in creating large private

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

s, engine works and metallurgical works for the production of armour, steel plates and guns. In 1892, he entered the

Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the Prime Minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. After Benito Mussolini, he is the second-longest serving Prime Minister in Italian history. A pr ...

cabinet as

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, accompanying, in that capacity,

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Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

and

Queen Margherita Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to Umberto I. Life Early life Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabeth ...

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, but chose not to act against

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on the occasion of the massacre of Italian workmen at Aigues-Mortes. He died while Naval Minister in the Rudini cabinet.

Commemoration

Plaque dedicated to Benedetto Brin on Via Santi Apostoli, Rome. * A named for him was launched by the Regia Marina in 1901. * The was named after him. * Plaque dedicated to Benedetto Brin on Via Santi Apostoli, Rome.

Footnotes

References