The First Battle of Topolobampo was a bloodless engagement and one of the few naval battles of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
. The small action occurred off
Topolobampo
Topolobampo () is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome (after Los Mochis, Ahome, and Higuera de Zaragoza), reporting a 2010 census population of 6,361 inhabit ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and involved three
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
s, two from the
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...
and another which
mutinied
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...
from the armada and joined the rebel
Constitutionalists
Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law".
Political organizations are constitutional ...
. It was fought on the morning of March 4, 1914 and was the first battle of the naval campaign in the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
.
Background
Guaymas Mutiny
On 22 February 1914,
[J.H. Klein, “The Career Of The Mexican Gunboat Tampico”. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 44, No. 3 March 1918. https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofuni44261918unit/ proceedingsofuni44261918unit_djvu.txt] off
Guaymas, Mexico
Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Calif ...
a mutiny began at about 8:00 pm when the Mexican Navy gunboat ''Tampico'' was refitting for a cruise. Half of the officers and crew were still enjoying shore leave when
Executive Officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Hilario Rodríguez Malpica and three other officers began to rally the remaining crew aboard ''Tampico''. The mob of
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
s then headed for their captain, whom they arrested with violence. Malpica, who had assumed command of the mutineers, informed Captain
Manuel Azueta
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
that he intended to sail ''Tampico'' to join the Constitutionalists. (There are various stories about why Lieutenant Malpica resorted to mutiny, however none are known to be true). ''Tampico'' started and intended to head westward.
Just then the Huerista gunboat ''Guerrero'', under Captain
Navio Torres, was spotted in front of ''Tampico''. Malpica steamed ''Tampico'' straight for ''Guerrero'', hoping to ram and sink her. Unfortunately for ''Tampico'', her steering gear malfunctioned and she was forced to turn around and head for Topolobampo in
Sinaloa.
The mutineers transferred ''Tampico''s former captain to a merchant vessel, SS ''Herrerias'', which took him to
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
, which was still in federal hands at the time. ''Tampico'' made it to Topolobampo, which became her home port throughout the subsequent naval campaign. Because ''Tampico'' was short half of her crew, twenty-five Sinaloan insurgents were ordered to her to become sailors.
Battle
After being humiliated by allowing ''Tampico'' to escape and join the rebellion, Captain Navio Torres with ''Guerrero'' and another gunboat, ''Morelos'', headed for Topolobampo where they suspected to find the ''Tampico''. ''Guerrero'' arrived on 2 March, where she anchored outside the bar and waited for ''Morelos'' which would arrive the following day. ''Tampico'' was not in sight however; apparently she was conducting a mission against federal Mexican forces elsewhere. So the two gunboats waited in
Topolobampo Bay until the next morning; on 4 March, they sighted ''Tampico'' as she entered the channel. ''Guerrero'' was immediately ordered underway; ''Morelos'' followed along ''Guerrero'' astern.
Just seconds after lifting anchor, ''Guerrero'' opened fire from around with her main
gun battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...
. A running battle ensued; ''Tampico'' did not stop to fire until after passing
Shell Point; once on the other side, she opened fire with her two guns and one gun at ''Guerrero''. ''Tampico'' had one other 6-pounder gun on board but only the one would be used in the battle. Upon receiving fire, Captain Torres, ordered his ship to maneuver into position for a
broadside
Broadside or broadsides may refer to:
Naval
* Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare
Printing and literature
* Broadside (comic ...
attack with his six 4-inch guns; ''Guerrero'' fired but none of her shots hit their target. At this time ''Morelos'' was about off ''Guerrero''s portside when she opened fire. A gunnery duel continued for sometime; ultimately no hits were made by either side who were firing at each other from a range of away.
''Guerrero'' had a better armament than ''Tampico''; ''Guerrero''s guns were in much better condition which gave her a farther range than that of ''Tampico''. This would become a major factor in the coming battles which gave the federals a distinct advantage over the Constitutionalist gunboat. Eventually ''Tampico'' made for the protection of Topolobampo's port; she entered past the bar and the fighting ended. The gunboat ''Guerrero'' again anchored outside the bar, to initiate a naval
blockade
A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force.
A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...
while ''Morelos'' left for Guaymas for coal and provisions; she would return a few days later.
Aftermath
Throughout the engagement, none of the rounds fired hit their targets. ''Tampico'', according to report, fired far more accurately than the other two gunboats. Of her rounds, one was spotted short of ''Guerrero'', another 50 yards over, and one more, just off ''Guerrero''s portside. ''Guerrero'' fired about twenty rounds that morning, ''Morelos'' about seven and ''Tampico'' fired fourteen. On 13 March, ''Tampico'' would test the federal blockade during another bloodless sea battle known as the
Second Battle of Topolobampo
The Second Battle of Topolobampo was a bloodless naval engagement during the Mexican Revolution. In March 1914, a rebel Constitutionalists in the Mexican Revolution, Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa ...
.
See also
*
Pancho Villa Expedition
The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...
*
Second Battle of Topolobampo
The Second Battle of Topolobampo was a bloodless naval engagement during the Mexican Revolution. In March 1914, a rebel Constitutionalists in the Mexican Revolution, Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa ...
*
Third Battle of Topolobampo
The Third Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action during the Mexican Revolution. At the end of March 1914, a Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa after failing in the First and Second Battle ...
*
Fourth Battle of Topolobampo
The Fourth Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action fought during the Mexican Revolution and the last naval battle of the Topolobampo Campaign. In June 1914, a Huertista gunboat sank a Constitutionalist gunboat off Topolobampo, Sinaloa i ...
References
* Stefoff, Rebecca. Independence and Revolution in Mexico. (New York, Facts On File Inc, 1993).
* http://www.semar.gob.mx/informes/politicas_armada/parte_dos/capitulo_3.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Topolobampo, First Battle of
History of Mexico
1914 in Mexico
Conflicts in 1914
Mutinies
Naval mutinies
Topolobampo
Topolobampo () is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome (after Los Mochis, Ahome, and Higuera de Zaragoza), reporting a 2010 census population of 6,361 inhabit ...
11 First Battle Of Topolobampo
Topolobamp 1
March 1914 events