Matthew F. Maury
Admiral Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14 1806 – February 1 1873) was an oceanographer who wrote on the ocean winds and currents. He was known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas" in the Confederate Navy. He founded the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Maury's work on ocean currents led him to advocate the theory of the Open Polar Sea, the hypothesis that the ocean near the North Pole is free of ice. While today this is known to be false, in the 19th century it was a popular idea that inspired many explorers to seek a navigable sea route to the Pole.
A Virginian, he later joined the Confederate Navy and was known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas." He became commander of the navy in 1861, and secured support for the Confederacy in Britain.
During the American Civil War he worked on an electric torpedo design but didn't manage to perfect it into an effective weapon. He later gave talks in Europe about the development of his torpedo.
