Emilio Faà di Bruno (7 March 1820 – 20 July 1866) was an Italian naval officer. He was born in the
Kingdom of Sardinia and was a key figure in the
unification of Italy and the creation of the
Royal Italian Navy
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' (" ...
. Between 1863 and 1864 he toured the coast of North America, protecting Italian interests and engaging in naval diplomacy. He died at the
Battle of Lissa.
First and Second Wars of Independence
Faà di Bruno was born in
Alessandria
Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin.
Alessandria ...
to Lodovico,
Marchese di Bruno, and Carolina Sappa de' Milanesi. His brothers were the missionary
Giuseppe and the mathematician
Francesco
Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Francesco
* Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...
. Emilio entered the naval academy at
Genoa as a youth and received his first experience at sea on the frigate ''Des Geneys''. He reached the rank of ensign in 1837 and ensign first class in 1839. As a lieutenant, he participated in the
First Italian War of Independence
The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...
against the
Austrian Empire in 1848–49. He served under Admiral
Giuseppe Albini
Giuseppe Albini was an Italian physiologist and physician, born in Milan on 27 September 1827. He died in Turin on 18 January 1911..
Biography
In 1845, he began his medical studies in Pavia, where he attended Bartolomeo Panizza's anatomy courses ...
aboard the corvette ''Malfatano'' and the frigate ''San Michele'' in the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
, during the search for the Austrian fleet between the mouths of the rivers
Piave and
Tagliamento and in the blockade of
Trieste.
After the war, Faà di Bruno retired for family reasons, but he was recalled when the
Conte di Cavour, then minister of the navy, appointed him naval attaché to the Sardinian embassy in London. There he met and, on 29 October 1851, married Agnes Huddleston. During the
Second Italian War of Independence, he distinguished himself at the
Siege of Gaeta (1860) and won the knight's cross (''croce di cavaliere'') of the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...
.
North American voyage
After the second war, Faà di Bruno was promoted to the rank of frigate captain and given command of the steam corvette ''San Giovanni''. On 23 February 1863 he departed from Genoa for
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arriving on 20 May. There he inspected the ironclad ''
Re d'Italia'', then under construction for the Italian navy. He then steamed to
New Orleans, where he unsuccessfully attempted to make his way up the shallow first stretch of the
Mississippi River. He then steamed north to Canada, where the ''San Giovanni'' became the first Italian ship to enter
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay ( Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; kl, Avannaata Imaa; french: Baie de Baffin), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arct ...
, and then turned south again and made his way to
Rio de Janeiro, where he stayed several months giving support to the Italian community.
In 1865, Faà di Bruno was given command of the steam corvette ''Castelfidardo'' and began working with Admiral
Giovanni Vacca in developing the navy into a world-class force. He was sent to
Tunisia, where Admiral Albini had already stationed Italian forces, because trade disputes involving the European powers had sparked local unrest. He negotiated a compromise between Italian and Tunisian fishermen, earning himself a decoration from the Bey of Tunis,
Muhammad III as-Sadiq.
Third War of Independence
Faà di Bruno was promoted to captain and was ordered to take command of the ''Re d'Italia'', which he had inspected in the United States. In May 1866, at the start of the
Third Italian War of Independence, he was ordered to join the fleet under Admiral
Carlo Pellion di Persano
Count Carlo Pellion di Persano (11 March 1806 – 28 July 1883) was an Italian naval officer and politician, who was commander of the ''Regia Marina'' fleet at the 1866 Battle of Lissa.
Persano was born at Vercelli in the Kingdom of Sardinia ...
at
Taranto, from where they proceeded to
Ancona. During the journey the ''Re d'Italia'' suffered a minor fire in the coal bunkers.
On July 20, while some of the fleet was bombarding the forts of
Lissa, Admiral di Persano, with his flag aboard the ''Re d'Italia'', sailed to meet the Austrian fleet under
Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, transferring his flag to the
''Affondatore'' before the beginning of the battle. The Italian line faltered, and the centre—the ''Re d'Italia'' with ''Palestro'' and under Faà di Bruno—was isolated. First, the rudder of the ''Re d'Italia'' was hit, immobilising it; second, the
SMS ''Erzherzog Ferdinand Max'' rammed her, punching an 18-foot hole in her side below the waterline. Having struck her colours, she sunk within minutes, with the loss of most of her crew. According to some reports, Faà di Bruno shot himself on the bridge before going down. The majority of historians are more inclined to accept the story of Commander Andrea del Santo, the deputy chief of staff to Persano, who recalled that Faà di Bruno jumped into the sea but was dragged under by the sinking ship. Some historians have accused Faà di Bruno of being a poor seaman, although an able fighter. Although the greatest blame for the loss at Lissa falls on Persano, it was Faà di Bruno who decided, upon sighting an enemy bow, to reverse course, losing headway and being caught almost at a standstill by the ramming ''Ferdinand Max''.
On 15 August 1867, the Italian government awarded Faà di Bruno a
Gold Medal of Military Valour, with the citation: "For his conduct in the naval operations at Lissa on the days of 18, 19 and 20 July 1866".
[''Per la sua condotta nelle operazioni navali a Lissa nei giorni 18, 19, 20 luglio 1866.''] Three vessels have been named after him:
*
Italian gunboat ''Faà di Bruno'' (1896)
*
Italian monitor ''Faà di Bruno'' (1917)
*
Italian submarine ''Comandante Faà di Bruno'' (1936)
Notes
References
*
Further reading
*Bravetta, E. ''La grande guerra sul mare'', vol. 1. Milan: 1925.
*Colliva, G. ''Uomini e navi nella storia della marina militare italiana'' Milan: 1972.
*Ferrante, E. ''La grande guerra in Adriatico''. Rome: 1987.
*Guerrini, D. ''Lissa (1866)'', vol. 2. Turin: 1908.
*Iachino, A. ''La campagna navale di Lissa (1866)''. Milan: 1966.
*Lumbroso, A. ''La battaglia navale di Lissa nella storia e nella leggenda''. Rome: 1910.
*Olivero, D. ''I Faà di Bruno''. Alessandria: 1913.
*Pieri, P. ''Storia militare del Risorgimento''. Turin: 1962.
*Santoni, A. ''Da Lissa alle Falkland''. Milano 1987.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faa di Bruno, Emilio
1820 births
1866 deaths
People from Alessandria
People from the Kingdom of Sardinia
Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Italian military personnel killed in action