Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli
| Don Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli | |
|---|---|
Federico Gravina. (Naval Museum of Madrid).
|
|
| Born |
August 12, 1756 Palermo, Sicily |
| Died | March 9, 1806 (aged 49) Cadiz, Spain |
| Allegiance |
 Spanish Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 Spanish Navy
|
| Years of service | 1768-1806 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
Don Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli (August 12, 1756 - March 9, 1806) was a Spanish Admiral during the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Trafalgar. Spanish explorer Jacinto Caamaño named the Gravina Island in Alaska in his honor.
He was the son of Don Giovanni Gravina Moncada, Duke of San Miguel, Grandee of Spain, and Doña Leonora Napoli Monteaporto, daughter of the Prince of Resetena. His family originated in Sicily, which was then part of the Kingdom of Naples and ruled by a Spanish Bourbon dynasty. With the help of his uncle, the Neapolitan Ambassador to Spain, he entered the Spanish Navy, as a naval cadet aged 12. He then served as Midshipman on board the frigate Santa Clara in Brazil. In the course of this voyage, he carried out his first command when obtaining the surrender of the castle of the Ascensión, located in a small barren island near Santa Catalina. In 1777 he survived a boat accident in the River Plate in which most of the crew drowned. In 1778, on returning to Spain, he served as a lieutenant aboard a ship suppressing Algerian pirates. He then obtained his first command - the xebec San Luis - in which he participated in the Siege of Gibraltar between 1779 and 1782.
After promotion to Commander he participated in the expedition against Minorca (then under British control), distinguishing himself in the attack on the fortress of San Felipe. After this, and for other actions, he was promoted to Captain. In 1785 he commanded a squadron operating against Algerian corsairs. In 1788 he travelled to Constantinople returning the Ambassador Jussuf Efendi. While there he made and published various astronomical observations. After the death of King Charles III, Gravina took the news to the colonies, where his frigate Paz recorded one of the fastest-ever times for passages from Cadiz to the Spanish possessions in Central America.
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