SMS Novara (1850)
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SMS Novara was a sail frigate most noted for sailing the globe for the Novara Expedition of 1857–1859 and, later for carrying Archduke Maximillian and wife Charlotte to Vera Cruz in May 1864 to become Emperor and Empress of Mexico.
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[edit] History
The SMS Novara[1] was a frigate that circumnavigated the earth during the Austrian Imperial expedition of 1857–1859, under the reign of (Kaiser) Emperor Franz Joseph I. [2] [3] It was a sailing ship with 3 masts of sails and 6 decks, outfitted with 42 cannons, and had a water displacement of nearly 2,107 tons.[3]
The SMS Novara during 1843–1899 carried several names and configurations: [4] originally named "Minerva" when the lengthy construction started in Venice during 1843, the partially completed frigate was renamed "Italia" by Venetian revolutionaries in 1848, finally launched with the name "Novara" in 1850, and converted to a steam cruiser during 1861–1865.
The frigate had been renamed after the Battle of Novara (1849): following the Austrians' retaking of Venice, Field Marshall Radetzky visited the shipyard there, and the officers petitioned him to have the nearly-completed Italia renamed in honour of his victory over King Charles Albert at the Italian town of Novara.[4] The ship was subsequently christened "Novara" in 1849, and construction restarted in earnest under Austrian supervision. The hull left the slipway the following year, in November 1850.[4]
The circumnavigation of the earth from April 1857 through August 1859[4] by the Novara was one of the most important journeys for what became the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna.[2] A number of eminent natural scientists joined the voyage, including Georg Ritter von Frauenfeld, curator in the invertebrate department of the Imperial museums.[2] The material collected during the expedition was voluminous and continues to be examined and published by prominent scientists up until the present time;[2] (see details below).
In April of 1864, the Novara had the important task of carrying Archduke Maximillian and his wife Charlotte to Vera Cruz in the Americas, for their establishment as the new Emperor and Empress of Mexico. The Novara arrived at Verz Cruz, Mexico on 28 May 1864.[2]
[edit] Novara expedition
The Novara-Expedition (1857–1859) [3] was the first large-scale scientific, around-the-world mission of the Austrian Imperial war navy. [5] Authorized by Archduke Maximillian, the journey lasted 2 years 3 months, from 30 April 1857 until 30 August 1859.[3]
The expedition was accomplished by the frigate Novara, under the command of Kommodore Bernhard von Wüllerstorf-Urbair,[5] with 345 officers and crew, plus seven (7) scientists aboard.[3] Preparation for the research journey was made by the "Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna" and by specialized scholars under direction of the geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter and the zoologist Georg von Frauenfeld.[5] The first coca plant (cocaine) investigations, in particular on the St. Paul island, the Nikobaren, and on New Zealand (first geological mapping by Hochstetter), created the bases for future geological research.[5] The oceanographic research, in particular in the South Pacific, revolutionized oceanography and Hydrographie.[5]
The returned collections of botanical, zoological (26,000 preparations), and cultural material enriched the Austrian museums (especially the natural-history museum).[5] The earth-magnetic observations made throughout the whole expedition process increased the scientific knowledge in this area crucially.[5] Finally, the expedition made the transportation of leaves of the coca plants possible to represent cocaine for the first time purely, in 1860.[5]
The results of the research journey were compiled into a 21-binder report of the Viennese Academy of Sciences, titled "Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde (1861–1876)" ("journey of the Austrian frigate Novara around the earth"). Also published were many woodcuts under the same title (in 3 volumes, by K. Scherzer 1864–1866).[5]
The Novara-Expedition report included a drawing of the frigate SMS Novara surrounded by an oval border with the names of locations visited: Gibraltar, Madeira, Rio de Janiero, Cape Town, St. Paul island, Ceylon, Madras, Nicobar Islands, Singapore, Batavia, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Puynipet island, Stuarts, Sydney (November 5, 1858), Auckland, Tahiti, Valparaiso, Gravosa, and Triest (returning on August 26, 1859).
[edit] See also
- S.M.S. Novara has left such a legacy behind that it was selected the main motive for a very recent commemorative coin: the 20 euro S.M.S. Novara coin minted in June 16, 2004. The obverse shows the frigate S.M.S. Novara under sail during her circumnavigation of the globe in 1857-1859. The Novara was the first Austrian ship in the Austro-Hungarian Navy to circumnavigate the world. In the background, there is a representation of the Chinese coast. Seagulls, showing the nearness to land, circle the ship.
- See SMS Novara for ships of the same name.
- Johann Natterer, scientist who collected Vienna museum specimens during 18 years in South America.
- Imperial Natural History Museum, forerunner of the Naturhistorisches Museum.
[edit] Notes
- ^ In German language for ship names, "SMS" means "Seiner Majestät Schiff" (in English: "His Majesty's Ship"). See more at: Kaiserliche Marine.
- ^ a b c d e "The Crustacean Collection of the Museum of Natural History in Vienna" (history), Peter C. Dworschak & Verena Stagl, 3rd Zoological Dept., Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, webpage (@www.nhm-wien.ac.at): NHM-Wien-Crustacean-PDF.
- ^ a b c d e "Novara-Expedition" (port-by-port description), Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, 2005, www.KHM.at webpage: KHM-Novara-Expedition.
- ^ a b c d "The Austrian Imperial Frigate SMS Novara" (history + photos), Michael Organ, 25 October, 2006, Australian webpage (@MichaelOrgan.org.au): MOrgan-Novara1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Novara-Expedition" (description), German Wikipedia, 2006-10-29, De.Wikipedia.org webpage: DeWiki-Novara-Expedition.
[edit] References
- "Embarkation of the Body of the Late Emperor Maximillian at Vera Cruz, Mexico," The Illustrated London News, 11 January 1868, p. 32 [with an engraved view of the SMS Novara and HMS Niger].
- Treffer, G. (ed.), Die Weltumseglung der Novara, 1857-1859 ("The Round-the-World Voyage of the Novara"), Molden, Vienna, 1973, 224p.
- Turner, Brian, "Novara: Austria's Ship of Fate" from "Heligoland Bight - Wooden Ship's Last Sea Battle (9 May 1864)" in Military History, February 1997, pages 54-61.
