On 6 March 1866, during the

Chincha Islands War The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War ( es, Guerra hispano-sudamericana), was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The ...

, the Spanish steam frigate ''Blanca'' captured the

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an sidewheel steamer ''Paquete de Maule'' in the Gulf of Arauco. ''Paquete de Maule'' was a 400-ton sidewheel steamer built by Lawrence & Foulks in 1861 at

Williamsburg, New York Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

for G. K. Stevenson & Co., who planned to operate the vessel between Valparaiso and Maule. During the war, the '' Paquete de Maule'' served as an auxiliary ship to the Chilean fleet and it was unarmed. On March 6, 1866, while en route from Lota to

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

(and being accompanied by ''Independencia'' pilebot) with a crew of 7 men, and officer and 126 sailors destined to complete the crews of the

Peruvian Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...

ironclads '' Huascar'' and '' Independencia'', it was captured by the Spanish frigate ''Blanca'', commanded by

Juan Bautista Topete Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo (24 May 1821 – 29 October 1885), was a Spanish admiral and politician. He was born in San Andrés Tuxtla, Mexico. His father and grandfather were also Spanish admirals. He entered the navy at the age of ...

. The Spanish ship didn't detect the Chilean ''Independencia'' pailebot and it was able to escape taking refuge in the shallow areas. The ''Paquete de Maule'' sailing under the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colors in a vain attempt to avoid capture. Once the Spanish were on board, her crew alleged to be British citizens, but the unconvinced Spanish officers arrested them. Spanish civilians imprisoned in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

were offered in exchange for Lynch and his crew, but Méndez Núñez refused. The ''Paquete de Maule'', added to the Spanish fleet as an auxiliary ship, armed with two cannons, took part in the

Battle of Callao The Battle of Callao (, as it is known in South America) occurred on May 2, 1866, between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during th ...

.Herrera Cuntti p. 247 On 10 May 1866 she was burned and scuttled near the San Lorenzo island since the Spanish couldn't take it with them on their retreat towards the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Notes

References

* Frazer, John F. (Ed.) (1863): ''Journal of the Franklin Institute'', Volume XLV, January–June 1863, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. * * * * {{coord missing, Chile Conflicts in 1866 1866 in Chile Paquete de Maule Paquete de Maule Paquete de Maule Battles and conflicts without fatalities March 1866 events