IVAN LUPIS-VUKIĆ – IZUMITELJ TORPEDA PORIJEKLOM IZ NAKOVANE
Malo je poznato da je Giovanni Biagio Luppis poznatiji kao Ivan Lupis (Rijeka, 28. siječnja 1814. – Torriggia, 11. siječnja 1875.), pomorski časnik Austro-ugarske Mornarice porijeklom iz Nakovane. Naime njegov se djed Jakov Lupis iselio se u Rijeci, a on je tijekom svog zivota vise puta navracao u Nakovanu.
Bio je zapovjednik austrijske fregate “Venus”. Izumio je i 1860. godine sagradio torpedo, koji je poslije usavršio britanski strojaski inženjer Robert Whitehead, koji je bio direktor tvrtke “Stabilimento tecnico Fiumano”. Kao rezultat uspješnog izuma 1873. godine utemeljena je tvornica torpeda “Whitehead & Co.” u Rijeci (prije tvornica Torpedo). Lupis je zbog svojih zasluga dobio plemički naslov „von Rammer“ (potopljivač) 1869, a već šest godina kasnije umire u Milanu.
Od 1880. godine Lupis-Whiteheadov torpedo postao je standardno naoružanje razvijenijih ratnih mornarica.
IVAN LUPIS –VUKIĆ, INVENTOR OF THE TORPEDO, ORIGIN FROM NAKOVANA
It is widely unknown that Giovanni Biagio Luppis known as Ivan Lupis (Rijeka, 28 January 1814th – Torriggia, January 11, 1875th), naval officer of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is originally from Nakovana. His grandfather Jakov emigrated to Rijeka were he was born, and during his life he visited Nakovana several times. The name Lupis comes from the name Vuk, Vukić – adaption of lupus – „wolf“.
He served in the Venezianisch-Österreichische Kriegsmarine (after 1849 K.u.K Kriegsmarine ) and rose up the ranks to the position of Frigate Captain (Fregattenkapitan). He envisioned a floating device for destroying ships that would be unmanned and controlled from land, while the explosive charges would detonate at the moment of impact. His first prototype was one meter long, had glass wings, and was controlled via long ropes from the coast. It didn’t succeed due to primitive implementation
In 1860, after Luppis had retired from the Navy, he managed to demonstrate the ‘6 m’ design to the emperor Franz Joseph, and it was a success, but the naval commission refused to accept it without better propulsion and control systems.
In 1864 Fiume/Rijeka the future mayor Giovanni de Ciotta introduced Luppis to the British machine engineer Robert Whitehead, manager of the local factory ‘Stabilimento Tecnico Fiumano’, with whom he signed a contract
Whitehead had significantly altered the original design, but always credited Lupis with the invention.
On 21 December 1866 the first automobile torpedo, now named Minenschiff, was officially demonstrated in front of the Austro-Hungarian state commission for evaluation. The naval commission accepted it, and so it is how the modern torpedo was born.
Giovanni Luppis was given the noble title of Baron von Rammer (‘the sinker’) on 1 August 1869. He died in Milan on 11 January 1875.