Juan Guillermo Moore Ruiz (27 February 1833 - 7 June 1880) was a British Peruvian navy officer. He was killed during the
Battle of Arica
The Battle of Arica, also known as ''Assault and Capture of Cape Arica'', was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru.
After the Battle of Tacna and the following Bolivian withdra ...
.
Biography
Moore (sometimes spelled ''More'' in some texts) was born 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 ...
, the son of John Moore, a Scottish sailor and of Dolores Ruiz, a Peruvian lady. He joined the British Navy as an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in 1854. Later he returned to Peru and was commissioned in the
Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...
. He served in the frigates ''
Apurímac'', ''Izcuchaca'' and ''Huaraz'', as well as the ''Guise'' and the pontoon ''Iquique''.
In 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 ...
, he was appointed commander of the
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
''
Unión''. A few months later,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Moore took a
Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...
crew to the United States to bring the
ironclad
An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
Atahualpa
Atahualpa (), also Atawallpa (Quechua), Atabalica, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa (c. 1502 – 26-29 July 1533) was the last Inca Emperor. After defeating his brother, Atahualpa became very briefly the last Sapa Inca (sovereign emperor) of the Inca Empir ...
to Peru. The monitor sailed from
New Orleans, La. in early January 1869 arriving in Peru in June 1870. As a reward, he was appointed as commander of the frigate ''
Independencia'' and in 1877, General Commander of the Southern Fleet. As such he directed the actions to recapture the
monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...
''
Huáscar
Huáscar Inca (; Quechua: ''Waskar Inka''; 1503–1532) also Guazcar was Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire from 1527 to 1532. He succeeded his father, Huayna Capac and his brother Ninan Cuyochi, both of whom died of smallpox while campaigning near Qui ...
'' which had been captured by
Nicolás de Piérola
Jose Nicolás Baltasar Fernández de Piérola y Villena (known as "''El Califa''" ("The Caliph"); January 5, 1839 – June 23, 1913) was a Peruvian politician and Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Finance who served as the 23rd and 31 ...
and had rebelled against the central government.
During the
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
between
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 ...
and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, he was appointed commander of the strongest unit of the Peruvian Navy, the
armoured frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
''Independencia''. As such, he participated in the
Battle of Punta Gruesa
The Battle of Punta Gruesa was a naval action that took place on May 21, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources ...
on 21 May 1879, when his ship crashed with a submarine rock while pursuing 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 schooner ''
Covadonga
Covadonga ( Asturian: ''Cuadonga'', from ''cova domnica'' "Cave of Our Lady"Juan Gil Fernández, José L. Moralejo, Juan Ignacio Ruiz de la Peña, ''Crónicas asturianas'', Universidad de Oviedo, 1985,
p. 203.) is one of 11 parishes in Ca ...
,'' commanded by Captain
Carlos Condell
Carlos Arnaldo Condell De La Haza (August 14, 1843 in Valparaíso – November 24, 1887 in Quilpué) was a Chilean naval officer and hero of the Battle of Punta Gruesa during the start of the War of the Pacific.
Possessing a great sense of ...
. He was rescued from his sinking ship, imprisoned in
Arica
Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The ...
and court martialled by his own comrades. He was dismissed from the navy and forbidden to ever wear his uniform again. He decided to continue the war as a simple civilian, in order to regain his lost honor. On 27 February 1880, during the
Naval Battle of Arica
The Naval Battle of Arica ( es, Combate naval de Arica) was a naval battle which took place on 27 February 1880 during the Blockade of Arica as part of the War of the Pacific.
Background
The blockade of Arica was conducted by the Chilean navy' ...
, while in command of the
Manco Capac Manco is a male given name, and may refer to:
*Manco Capac, also known as Manco Inca and Ayar Manco, according to some historians, founder and first governor of the Inca civilization in Cuzco (KOOZ-Koh), possibly in the early 13th century
*Manco Inc ...
, he successfully disabled the captured Huascar killing her commander Captain Manuel Thomson. During the siege of Arica, he was in charge of the batteries of the Cape, where he was killed during the
Battle of Arica
The Battle of Arica, also known as ''Assault and Capture of Cape Arica'', was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru.
After the Battle of Tacna and the following Bolivian withdra ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:More, Juan Guillermo
1833 births
1880 deaths
People from Lima
Peruvian Navy officers
Royal Navy officers
People of the Chincha Islands War
Peruvian Navy personnel of the War of the Pacific
Peruvian people of Scottish descent
Military personnel killed in the War of the Pacific