The Artiglio International Award jury, composed by:
Francesco Sodini – President,
Alberto Bargellini,
Amm. Florindo Cerri,
Boris Giannaccini,
Sauro Sodini,

on the basis of the Award Regulations, which consider either living or deceased candidates, has decided to confer the 1st Artiglio International Award to the memory of Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau, with the following motivation:

"During a period of half a century Jacques-Yves Cousteau made a decisive personal contribution to the planning and construction of original underwater exploration equipment of an extremely high technological standard. Thanks to his ingenious inventions, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the underwater research groups he formed were capable of conducting exceptional experiments in the lakes, the great rivers and the seas of our planet, thus acquiring new knowledge and opening new frontiers for the life and work of mankind in the underwater depths.
As well as being a great innovator, Jacques-Yves Cousteau also asserted the principle that "Every man has the right to inherit an uncontaminated planet, capable of giving rise to any form of life".
The activity that this extraordinary man dedicated to environmental protection and the safeguard of the underwater world was in keeping with his principles, and has made men aware of the irreplaceable role of the sea in their continuing survival".


 Claude Wesly dell'Equipe Cousteau con il Premio


Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on 11 June 1910 at S. Adré de Cubzac (Gironde). In 1930 he entered the Naval Academy and became an artillery officer. From 1933 to 1935 he was sent to the Far East on board the cruisers Primauguest and Shangha. In 1943, together with the engineer Emile Gagnan, he perfectioned an autonomous diving-suit; after the war, with Philippe Tailliez and Frédéric Dumas, he created his "Underwater Research Groups" with the aim of carrying out experiments underwater and in the laboratory. In 1950 he recovered an old mine-sweeper, the Calypso, which was fitted with immersion and scientific research equipment and then transformed into an oceanographic ship. Over a period of 40 years, the “Equipes Cousteau” explored the seas and great rivers of the entire world.

In 1959, in collaboration with the engineer Jean Mollare, Cousteau produced the SP-350, the first double diving bell for immersions at depths of up to 350 meters. In 1965 two similar single units, capable of descending to 500 meters, were built and baptized "Sea fleas". Cousteau successfully directed three "underwater house" experiments: Précontinent I off Marseilles, Précontinent II in the Red Sea and Précontinent III in the sea near Nice. J-Y Cousteau, Prof. Lucien Malavard and Bertrand Charrier, engineer, initiated the study of a new complementary eolian propulsion system called Turbovoile, and in 1983 they launched Moulin à Vent, a modified catamaran fitted with this system. The system was further developed on the experimental ship Alcione, which is still used today for filming and exploration. The Calypso II, ecological ship inspired by its namesake, was also fitted with a "Turbovoile".
With the foundation of the Cousteau Society in 1974 and of the Equipe Cousteau in 1981 the Commander carried forward his project for the protection and improvement of the quality of life for present and future generations. CDR Jacques-Yves Cousteau passed away on 25 June 1997 at the age of 87.
From 1944 onwards CDR Cousteau made over seventy films for television and three feature films; in collaboration with various ship owners he wrote more than fifty books which have been published in a dozen languages.
Named Cavalier of the Legion of Honor for his services during the Resistance, CDR Cousteau was promoted to the rank of High Official and “Commandeur” for his scientific merits; he was also a Member of the American Academy of Sciences, and for thirty years Director of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
From 1977 to 1992 he held posts of high responsibility, and obtained some of the most prestigious acknowledgments at national (French) and international levels.

The Award, consisting of a bronze sculptural relief of the Artiglio Award logo, will be solemnly presented to Claude Wesly, CDR Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s companion since 1962, on Saturday 28 April, 2001, at the Eden Theatre in Viareggio. Claude Wesly participated to all the extraordinary activities of the Equipe Cousteau, living the Précontinent I, II, and III “underwater house” experiences with his friend Albert Falco.
Since the decease of CDR Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Mr Claude Wesly is the official world representative of the Equipe Cousteau.