Augusto Riboty

Born in the County of Nice, he enrolled in 1830 in the Navy School of Genoa, graduating in 1835. In 1848 he participated, on the brig Colombo, in the First Italian War of Independence; he also saw service in the Crimean War while serving on the screw frigate Carlo Alberto. He took part in the Second War of Italian Independence as commander of the paddle sloop Monzambano.

In 1860, promoted to the rank of Capitano di Fregata of the newly born Regia Marina Italiana, Riboty was named head of the Navy School of Genoa, which he led until 1864. He was afterwards promoted to Capitano di Vascello and served as chief of staff to the Squadra di Evoluzione (Squadron of Evolution), the active squadron of the Italian Navy meant to provide experience and training with the new fleet-sized maneuvers; as such, he participated in the multinational intervention in Tunisia in 1864, protecting foreign property and subjects during a revolt. When the squadron was deactivated, he served again as head of the Genoese school, as well as that of Naples.

In 1866 Riboty was named commander of the new ironclad screw frigate Re di Portogallo, in which he participated in the Third Italian War of Independence. At the Battle of Lissa, he gallantly led his ship, and inflicted serious damage to the screw ship of the line Kaiser; his actions were praised by all his superiors, and he was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour. Promoted to Rear Admiral, he led the naval forces that contributed to the repression of a revolt in Palermo in September of the same year.

Riboty took command of the active naval squadron in 1867.

Riboty was appointed by Prime Minister Luigi Federico Menabrea as Minister of the Navy in January 1868; at the time, the Navy was suffering from the backlash of the defeat at Lissa and the precarious financial situation of Italy, resulting in considerable budget cuts which impaired naval buildings, the activity of the ships and the training. One of his first acts was to slash the plethoric number of admirals and high-ranking officers, putting several of them on the retired list; to avoid controversy, he put himself on the retired list, thus ending his own career for the benefit of the Navy.

With his experience as head of the naval schools, Riboty proposed the creation of a single Naval Academy (a suggestion already put forward by Carlo Pellion di Persano), to address the regionalistic spirit that still lingered among the officers, and which had had negative effects at Lissa; however, this was not followed through, and he only managed to unify the Genoese and Neapolitan schools as a single entity. An unified academy would be achieved only by Benedetto Brin in 1882. He unsuccessfully attempted to put forward a proposal for an organic plan for the navy in 1869, which was refused because of its costs; he also founded the Rivista Marittima (the still existing monthly journal of the Marina Militare), and in 1869 sent a squadron to the inauguration of the Suez Canal.

When the Menabrea ministry ended in December 1869, Riboty left his position as Minister, only to be reappointed by the new Prime Minister Giovanni Lanza in September 1871. In December 1870 he was appointed a senator.

His efforts to renovate the fleet bore fruit in 1872, when the Parliament authorized new expenses for new ships; in 1873, the two revolutionary ironclad ships of the Duilio-class, designed by Riboty's collaborator Benedetto Brin, were laid down.

Riboty retired to private life. He died at Nice on 9 February 1888.

An esploratore (later reclassified destroyer) of the Mirabello-class was named after Riboty; it served on both World Wars, being scrapped in 1951.

• Mariano Gabriele, Augusto Riboty, Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare, 1999