The British Navy’s greatest hydrographer and map-maker was actually an Irishman originally from Navan Co. Meath. Born in 1774 Francis Beaufort is best remembered as the originator of the Beaufort Scale which classifies the velocity and force of winds at sea.
At age 16, just three years after he began his nautical career, Beaufort began keeping a meteorological journal with brief comments on the weather, a practice he continued until his death.
His actual career at sea was short-lived despite remaining in the British Navy until he was 81. While trying to escape local hostilities when patrolling pirates in the Eastern Mediterranean, Beaufort was shot in the groin by sniper fire. He fractured his hip and was never again fit enough to return to active sea duty.
The Beaufort Wind Force Scale
The original Wind Force Scale that Beaufort developed consisted of 13 degrees of wind strength, from calm to hurricane. This proved enormously useful for mariners – Captains knew what to expect when venturing into waters and an officer could tell from the ship’s log if the ship could survive storm conditions.
The Scale was eventually refined to 17 values, defined by ranges of wind speed at 10 metres above sea surface. So the scale changed from the Beaufort Wind Force Scale into the Beaufort Wind Speed Scale.
From 1829, he was appointed Hydrographer to the Admiralty and planned detailed surveys of all uncharted coasts, both at home and abroad. Beaufort’s interest in making charts was a direct result of being shipwrecked at the age of 15 because he didn’t have a map.
Read more at:
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/history/beaufort.htm
