Vittorio Arminjon or Victor Arminjon (9 October 1830 – 4 February 1897) was an Italian admiral, explorer and writer.
Arminjon was born in
Chambéry
Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...
to Senator Mathias Arminjon and Henriette Dupy. He joined the Royal Naval School in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
in 1842 and became an officer in 1847. He served on the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the 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) to t ...
(1848-1849) and resigned in 1860 to join the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
commanding the ''Zenobia'' and later the ''Asmodeus''. He was made a Knight in the Order of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
. He married Enrichetta Alli-Maccarani, daughter of Marquis Alli Maccarani in 1859. In 1861 he joined back with 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'' (" ...
and served as a captain on a Frigate. In 1865 he commanded the frigate ''Regina'' from
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
to
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
and from there the steamship ''Magenta'' on a voyage around the world. The ship also carried the naturalists Prof.
Enrico Hillyer Giglioli
Enrico Hillyer Giglioli (13 June 1845 – 16 December 1909) was an Italians, Italian zoologist and anthropologist.
Giglioli was born in London and first studied there. He obtained a degree in science at the University of Pisa in 1864 and started ...
and
Filippo de Filippi who collected and described various zoological specimens including the
Trindade petrel
The Trindade petrel (''Pterodroma arminjoniana'') is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is in size, with an wingspan.
The petrel has various color morphs: dark and light, as well as intermediates between the two. ...
which was named after Arminjon as ''Pterodroma arminjoniana''.
In 1866 he signed trade treaties for Italy with Japan and China. He was made Commander of the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazare in February 1867. He then served as Director of Armaments and was appointed Commander of the Royal Naval School. In 1876 he was promoted Rear Admiral and served on the battleship ''Roma''. He resigned in 1877 and spent his time studying agriculture and experimenting with applied chemistry on his lands in the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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.
In 1882 on the occasion of the fourth centenary of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
' service to
Isabella of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 by ...
, Admiral Arminjon received the Grand'Croix of Spanish Naval Merit from
King Alfonso XII of Spain.
References
External links
Biography (in Italian)[Voyage of the Magenta] (1869)
1830 births
1897 deaths
Italian admirals
Military personnel from Chambéry
{{Italy-mil-bio-stub