Beaufort, Rear-Admiral Sir Francis

Beaufort, Rear-Admiral Sir Francis (b. Navan, Ireland, 1774; d. Greenwich, 17 December 1857) British naval officer and hydrographer, who in 1806, as Commander, published a method of measuring the wind at sea, initially based on the effects upon a frigate (such as the specific sails that could be carried). The Beaufort scale was eventually adopted by the Royal Navy in 1838. Beaufort became head of the Admiralty's Hydrographic Office in 1829, and transformed the office into the world's foremost hydrographic organization. He also introduced a set of letters for reporting the state of past or present weather. See BEAUFORT LETTERS
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