Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal
Encyclopedia
Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal (1792 – 5 February 1863) was an officer of the Royal Navy
. He became an accomplished surveyor
, and reached the rank of vice-admiral
.
and W. Shield. He initially served in the English Channel
, off the north coast of Spain
and in the West Indies, until November 1805. He later joined the Royal Naval College
at Portsmouth
, before joining in November 1809. Here he served under Lord William Stuart
, and George Digby. He spent three years aboard the Lavinia at the rank of midshipman
, and saw service in the Mediterranean and West Indies, and at Cadiz
and Lisbon
.
working in a surveying role. He was briefly employed as flag-lieutenant to Commodore Sir Edward Owen
, before receiving his commission, dated February 1815. He was appointed to in August 1818, rising to the post of first lieutenant under William Owen
. The death of Commander Cudlip led to Vidal being appointed to his first command, that of , and in May 1823 he was confirmed with promotion to the rank of Commander. He accompanied Owen on his voyage to Africa and on his return to England in October 1825, he was promoted to post-captain
.
Aitkin's Rock was a supposed rock in the North Atlantic. Despite being observed and named by a merchant, it had not been reliably charted, and expeditions, by in 1824; and in 1827; and and had all failed to locate it. In the summer of 1830, the Admiralty
placed Vidal in command of and and ordered him to investigate. There had been at least seven separate reports of the potential hazard, said to be small and protruding only about four feet from the water. Francis Beaufort
worked out a rough position for the rock and Vidal set out to investigate. He spent six weeks charting the supposed locations and all of the positions in between, without discovering any evidence. Satisfied that the rock was a mere vigia, he returned to port. During his surveys in search of the rock, he discovered and charted Vidal bank, and the next year became the first to accurately chart and describe Rockall
.
s. He intended to calculate the meridian arc
length to the Cape Verde
Islands, and the west coast of Africa. He eventually carried out detailed surveys all along the African coast, so that by 1838 the Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society
could remark of the survey that
aboard from September 1841 until January 1845. He then moved aboard the yacht William & Mary to complete the work.
, in October 1839 and had two sons, Owen Alexander (b. 1841) and Beaufort Henry (b. 1842). Following his wife's death in 1843, Vidal emigrated to Canada, where he joined his eldest brother Richard Emeric Vidal in the founding of Sarnia, Ontario
. He died at Clifton, Bristol
on 5 February 1863, aged 73.
The survey ship , launched in 1951, was named in his honour. In 1955 a party from HMS Vidal were landed on Rockall to claim it as part of the United Kingdom
, thus claiming the islet that Alexander Vidal had first surveyed over a hundred years before.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. He became an accomplished surveyor
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
, and reached the rank of vice-admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
.
Early life
Vidal was born in 1792, the youngest of four children of Emeric Vidal, who served in the Royal Navy. Alexander followed his father, embarking on a naval career in December 1803 when he joined as a 1st class volunteer. He served alternately under Sir Charles Hamilton, Michael SeymourSir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet
Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral.-Family and early life:...
and W. Shield. He initially served in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, off the north coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and in the West Indies, until November 1805. He later joined the Royal Naval College
Royal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...
at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, before joining in November 1809. Here he served under Lord William Stuart
Lord William Stuart
Captain Lord William Stuart , was a British naval commander and Tory politician.Stuart was the fifth son of John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, son of Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. His mother was the Hon. Charlotte Jane, daughter of Herbert Windsor, 2nd Viscount Windsor. He served in...
, and George Digby. He spent three years aboard the Lavinia at the rank of midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, and saw service in the Mediterranean and West Indies, and at Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
Promotion
He then served on the Home Station, successively aboard , , , , and . He sailed aboard the Conway to the North American Station, and on arrival, spent time on the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
working in a surveying role. He was briefly employed as flag-lieutenant to Commodore Sir Edward Owen
Edward Owen (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen GCB GCH was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He was the son of Captain William Owen and elder brother of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen....
, before receiving his commission, dated February 1815. He was appointed to in August 1818, rising to the post of first lieutenant under William Owen
William Fitzwilliam Owen
Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen , was a British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Seaflower Channel off the coast of Sumatra and for surveying the Canadian Great Lakes...
. The death of Commander Cudlip led to Vidal being appointed to his first command, that of , and in May 1823 he was confirmed with promotion to the rank of Commander. He accompanied Owen on his voyage to Africa and on his return to England in October 1825, he was promoted to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
.
Hunt for Aitkin's Rock
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
placed Vidal in command of and and ordered him to investigate. There had been at least seven separate reports of the potential hazard, said to be small and protruding only about four feet from the water. Francis Beaufort
Francis Beaufort
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain's Royal Navy...
worked out a rough position for the rock and Vidal set out to investigate. He spent six weeks charting the supposed locations and all of the positions in between, without discovering any evidence. Satisfied that the rock was a mere vigia, he returned to port. During his surveys in search of the rock, he discovered and charted Vidal bank, and the next year became the first to accurately chart and describe Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
.
African mapping
Vidal sailed aboard in December 1835, carrying 12 chronometerChronometer
Chronometer may refer to:* Chronometer watch, a watch tested and certified to meet certain precision standards* Hydrochronometer, a water clock* Marine chronometer, a timekeeper used for celestial navigation...
s. He intended to calculate the meridian arc
Meridian arc
In geodesy, a meridian arc measurement is a highly accurate determination of the distance between two points with the same longitude. Two or more such determinations at different locations then specify the shape of the reference ellipsoid which best approximates the shape of the geoid. This...
length to the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
Islands, and the west coast of Africa. He eventually carried out detailed surveys all along the African coast, so that by 1838 the Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
could remark of the survey that
This tedious undertaking is drawing to a close, and will then be of equal utility to the fair traders and the anti-slavery cruisers. It is fortunately in the hands of such a man as Captain Vidal, R.N., who has steadily devoted himself during a long period of ill-health, to complete this unpopular work, and to connect with it a minute examination of the Canary Islands.Vidal then carried out surveys of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
aboard from September 1841 until January 1845. He then moved aboard the yacht William & Mary to complete the work.
Later life and legacy
Vidal was promoted to rear-admiral on 27 January 1851, and vice-admiral on 17 June 1859. He had married Sarah Antoinette, daughter of Henry Veitch, the Consul General of MadeiraMadeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, in October 1839 and had two sons, Owen Alexander (b. 1841) and Beaufort Henry (b. 1842). Following his wife's death in 1843, Vidal emigrated to Canada, where he joined his eldest brother Richard Emeric Vidal in the founding of Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
. He died at Clifton, Bristol
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
on 5 February 1863, aged 73.
The survey ship , launched in 1951, was named in his honour. In 1955 a party from HMS Vidal were landed on Rockall to claim it as part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, thus claiming the islet that Alexander Vidal had first surveyed over a hundred years before.