- Benedetto Brin
Benedetto Brin (
May 17 ,1833 —May 24 ,1898 ) was an Italian naval administrator and politician.Biography
Born in
Turin , he worked with distinction as anaval engineer until the age of forty. In 1873, AdmiralSimone Arturo 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 to power in 1876, Brin was appointed Naval Minister by
Agostino Depretis , 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 warships "Italia" and "Duilio" were his work, though he afterwards abandoned their type in favor of smaller and faster vessels of the "Varese" and the "Garibaldi" class. Through his initiative, the Italian naval industry, almost non-existent in 1873, made rapid progress.During his eleven years ministry (1876-1878 with Depretis, 1884-1891 with Depretis and
Francesco Crispi , 1896-1898 withAntonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì ), he succeeded in creating large privateshipyard s, engine works and metallurgical works for the production of armour, steel plates and guns.In 1892, he entered the
Giovanni Giolitti cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, accompanying, in that capacity, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita toPotsdam , but chose not to act againstFrance on the occasion of the massacre of Italian workmen atAigues-Mortes .He died while Naval Minister in the Rudini cabinet.
Miscellaneous
*A battleship entitled to him was launched by Regia Marina in 1901.
References
*1911
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