José González Hontoria (born 21 July 1840,

Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar may refer to: * Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a city in the Province of Cádiz, Spain * Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a village in the Province of Huelva, Spain * Sanlúcar la Mayor, a city in the Province of Seville, Spain *Sanlúcar de Albaida, forme ...

, Cadiz—d. 1889,

Carabanchel Carabanchel is a district of Madrid, Spain. It lies on the southern (right) bank of the Manzanares, spanning southward down to the M-40 ring road. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of Abrantes, Comillas, Opañel, Puerta Bonita, S ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

) was a Spanish inventor,

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

of the

marine infantry Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

and

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

of the

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Biography

At nine years old he entered the Military Naval College of San Fernando on 31 December 1851 as a midshipman. On 11 March 1858 he was commissioned as a student sublieutenant of the Academy of the Royal Corps of

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

of the Navy from which he graduated in 1860 as a lieutenant and on 4 September was named assistant professor of the academy. He was sent by superiors on a path of learning and apprenticeship for the manufacture of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

and arms, as well as to study the processes for the foundation of national industry. On 31 January 1861 he returned to his work as a professor. From 17 August 1863 he again took command of the School and Branch of Naval Gunners, of which he was the most senior professor. He made several studies about procedures for the production of gunpowder and the manufacture of artillery. In 1879 the artillery system which he created was accepted for service in the navy and he was designated to study the system of manufacture of calibers, the design of guns and projectiles. He performed numerous missions of service in Spain and abroad. He was made very good offers by English

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

manufacturers to be the manager, but he did not accept them because he preferred to render his services to Spain. He designed diverse types of guns for the Spanish Navy, among them the so-called Trubia, a model of 160mm gun that in those times was considered the most powerful in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He also designed 240mm, 280mm, and 320mm guns as armaments for

ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

of the navy. He was buried at the Pantheon of Illustrious Mariners on 8 July 1907.

Gallery

Image:Vizcaya cruiser wreck 1898 LOC cph 3c04759u.jpg, A 280mm González Hontoria gun on the wreck of an ''Infanta María Teresa''-class cruiser. File:Spanish-American_War_Memorial_-_four cannon_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.JPG, Two 28cm Hontoria guns from the cruisers ''Infanta María Teresa'' and ''Viscaya''. Image:Infanta Maria Teresa Cannon Side.JPG, A 140mm González Hontoria rapid-fire gun from the cruiser ''Infanta María Teresa''. File:Cañón_7_cm_González_Hontoria_-_Lado_izquierdo.jpg, A 7cm Hontoria gun.

External links

«El Brigadier González Hontoria»
''Vida marítima'' (July 2008). Retrieved 14 July 2012.

of a captured 140mm González Hontoria rapid-fire gun. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez-Hontoria, Jose 1840 births 1889 deaths People from Cádiz Spanish engineers Spanish military officers

Biography

Gallery

See also

External links