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LESSON 5

The Weather

THE BEAUFORT SCALE

The Beaufort Scale of Wind Force was developed in 1805 by Admiral Sir
Francis Beaufort as a means for sailors to gauge wind speeds through visual
observations of the sea state.

Land based equivalent observations were added later on.

The scale runs from Force 0 (calm) to Force 12 (Hurricane).

beaufort

Who was Francis Beaufort?

Francis Beaufort was born in Navan in Ireland in 1774. His father was a cleric of Huguenot origin who took an active interest in geography and topography. He
published one of the earliest detailed maps of Ireland in 1792.

Francis Beaufort joined the East India Company in 1789 and served on a merchant ship. During the Napoleonic Wars he served in the Royal Navy as midshipman, lieutenant, commander and captain.

He was shipwrecked at age fifteen due to a faulty sea chart. Ever after, he was obsessed with the importance of education and the development of accurate charts for sailors.

He eventually became a Rear Admiral and was knighted in1848. He died in 1857 at age 83.

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