Vinchio d'Asti, 22 October 1883 - Camerano Casasco (Asti), 24 November 1952

After graduating in physics and mathematics (with honours), Vercelli taught at the Polytechnic of Turin and at the Military Academy of Turin.

During the First World War, he served as an artillery officer. In this capacity he began his studies on meteorological forecasting.

1918, December: At the end of the First World War, the Maritime Observatory passed to the Royal Thalassographic Committee, in turn supervised by the Ministry of the Navy. The Supreme Command appointed Vercelli to reorganise it.

1922: Vercelli organised, directed and took part in the first oceanographic measurement cruise in the Strait of Messina, with the support of the Regia Marina which provided the hydrographic ship "Marsigli". Ekman-Merz current meters and overturning bottles were used to sample and analyse the physical and chemical characteristics of the water at various depths.

1923: Second cruise in the Strait of Messina.

1923, September - 1924, June: Measurement cruise in the Red Sea.

1927: In collaboration with German teams, Vercelli took part in the first oil exploration in the Po Valley.

1928: Established the first geo-electric team.

1929: Second cruise in the Red Sea.

In those years, he developed the periodic analyser, one of the first analogue electro-mechanical calculators to analyse and characterise the components of oscillating natural phenomena such as the tides.

Two specimens are still preserved, one at the Physics Museum of the University of Turin, the second at the ISMar in Trieste (formerly the Thalassographic Institute), perhaps having survived the Allied bombing of 10 June 1944.

1931: Start of the Seismic Station of Trieste, in Viale Romolo Gessi N.4, which also has its own administrative autonomy.

1936: Oceanographic campaign in the waters of Rhodes.

1938, December: Vercelli went to the USA with the engineer Tiziano Rocco of AGIP Mineraria to study and learn the new techniques of reflection seismic.

1944, June 10: During the allied bombardment, the seat of the Institute was destroyed; Professor Francesco Vercelli was trapped for hours under the rubble; he was pulled out in such a serious condition that he remained in hospital for almost a year.