Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Julián Irízar ( Capilla del Señor,

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

, January 7, 1869 – March 17, 1935) was an officer of the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...

. He became a key figure in the modernization of the navy's fleet, the commander of the First Division of the Navy and later Naval Center President, but his most memorable action was as commander of the corvette ''

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

'' in the 1903 rescue of the

Swedish Antarctic Expedition The Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1903 was a scientific expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen. It was the first Swedish endeavour to Antarctica in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Background Otto Nordensk ...

led by

Otto Nordenskjöld Nils Otto Gustaf Nordenskjöld (6 December 1869 – 2 June 1928) was a Swedish geologist, geographer, and polar explorer. Early life Nordenskjöld was born in Hässleby in Småland in eastern Sweden, in a family that included his maternal unc ...

, whose ship, the ''

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

'' was destroyed by ice. At the time of the rescue he held the rank ''Capitán de Corbeta'' (Lieutenant Commander). (See ARA ''Uruguay'' for more information.)

Early career

Irízar entered the Naval Academy on March 11, 1884. In 1898 he was part of the commission to monitor construction of the frigate ARA ''Presidente Sarmiento'' in England. When in 1899 that ship embarked on its first voyage of circumnavigation, he was an officer of the staff of the ship. Becoming a specialist in explosives, he then took postings as

naval attaché A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

at the diplomatic missions in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and as purchasing agent for the Navy for ammunition and artillery materials.

Later career

Irizar was promoted to ''Capitán de Fragata'' (Commander) following the rescue of the Swedish Expedition. *He led the Argentine delegation to the Naval Commission in Europe after World War I. Upon returning was promoted to admiral (U.S.A equivalent Commodore) and appointed to head Naval Division I. *In 1923 he was posted to the supervision of the modernization of battleships ARA ''Moreno'' and '' ARA Rivadavia'' in the United States. *In 1926 he was promoted to vice admiral and in 1932 appointed the National Maritime Prefect. *Since April 16 of 1931 and for two years he chaired the Naval Center. He retired on January 8 of 1932, and died four years later.

Tributes

*An icebreaker of the Argentine Navy is named ARA ''Almirante Irízar'' in his honor. *

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot, better known in France as Commandant Charcot, (15 July 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris – 16 September 1936 at sea (30 miles north-west of Reykjavik, Iceland), was a French scientist, medical doctor ...

dubbed "''Islands Argentinas''" one archipelago next to

Graham Land Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee ...

, near the

Palmer Archipelago Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It extends from Tower Island in the north to Anvers ...

, one of which is called ''Irízar Island'' and another ''Uruguay Island'', after his ship. * Cape Irizar on

Lamplugh Island Lamplugh Island () is an ice-capped island, long, lying north of Whitmer Peninsula, along the coast of Victoria Land, Antarctica. Discovery and naming Lamplugh Island was first sighted by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, ...

in Antarctica is named after him.

Images

File:Capitan Julien Irizard Postcard Clip.jpg, Julián Irízar as ARA ''Capitán de Corbeta'' (Lieutenant Commander) ''ca.'' 1903 File:Buque Museo Fragata Presidente Sarmiento.jpg, Frigate ''Presidente Sarmiento'', upon which he served as staff officer File:Corbeta Uruguay (A.R.A.).jpg, Corvette ''Uruguay'', his most famous command File: Recoleta 146.jpg, His grave at ''La Recoleta'' Cemetery

External links

Imágenes y Biografía de Julián IrízarGoogle translation of above
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irizar, Julian 1869 births 1935 deaths People from Buenos Aires Province Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Argentine Navy admirals