The Third Battle of Topolobampo was a

single ship action A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions. Single-shi ...

during 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 ...

. At the end of March 1914, a

Constitutionalist 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 ...

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 ...

attempted to break the

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 ...

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 ...

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

after failing in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second Battles of Topolobampo. Constitutionalist warship, ''Tampico'', was sunk in a battle lasting a few hours by a Huertista gunboat.

Background

After two small bloodless engagements off Topolobampo within a few weeks earlier,

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 Malpica was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Álvaro Obregón Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 17 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) better known as Álvaro Obregón was a Sonoran-born general in the Mexican Revolution. A pragmatic centrist, natural soldier, and able politician, he became the 46th President of Me ...

, a future

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of Mexico. Despite the promotion, Captain Malpica still had the problem of fighting two

s, just outside Topolobampo's harbor bar. ''Morelos'' and ''Guerrero'', under Captain Navio Torres aboard ''Guerrero'', were conducting a naval blockade of the port. ''Guerrero'' had blockaded Topolobampo continually since March 2, 1914. ''Morelos'' arrived a couple days after ''Guerrero'' and occasionally left the blockade for provisioning and coal. On March 30, ''Morelos'' left again for supplies, leaving ''Guerrero'' alone and outside the bar. This gave Captain Malpica a chance to finally lift the blockade of his home port.

Battle

At 4:32 pm on March 31, 1914, the day after ''Morelos'' left, ''Tampico'' steamed out of the harbor and attacked ''Guerrero''. At this time, Captain Navio Torres was returning an official call from the

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protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

, , who was observing the naval campaign off Topolobampo. ''Tampico''s fire from two guns and one gun failed to hit the target but were not far off. ''Guerrero'' returned with six 4-inch guns and quickly ''New Orleans'' turned towards the Huertista vessel and got under way immediately; she was too close for safely observing the conflict. ''Guerrero'' took up a position off the channel with her

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 ...

towards ''Tampico''. At around 5:30 pm, Captain Malpica in ''Tampico'' reached a position abreast of Shell Point. There she opened fire on ''Guerrero'' again at a range of . Immediately she was answered by ''Guerrero''s broadsides; shots managed to hit the officers quarters twice, causing considerable damage. ''Tampico'' suffered four more hits to her bow, and one struck underneath the waterline. Five other shots struck ''Tampico'' at the waterline, one amidship. Amazingly neither Captain Malpica or any of her sixty other officers and crew sustained injuries. All of the said hits reportedly occurred while ''Tampico'' made the first dash towards ''Guerrero''. Despite the damage, the ships continued to fire at this position until 6:00 pm came before turning around. After a few more moments ''Tampico'' got underway again and headed straight for ''Guerrero'', as she had when Captain Malpica mutinied from the squadron. ''Tampico'' went right on over the bar and proceeded until grounding below the entrance of the harbor. By 6:15 pm, ''Tampico'' managed to free herself of the bar and headed northwest, again straight for ''Guerrero'' and under "''wild fire''" as USS ''New Orleans'' reported. When almost 6:30 pm, because of the approaching darkness, Captain Navio Torres, in the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

of ''Guerrero'', retreated but continued to fire shots at ''Tampico''. ''Guerrero'' was struck three times by ''Tampico''. One 4-inch armor-piercing shot, entered the

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

side of the berth deck but failed to detonate. Another landed on deck amid ship and also failed to explode. The third and final hit struck a

stanchion A stanchion () is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object. It can be a permanent fixture. Types In architecture stanchions are the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizo ...

outside the bridge, this one did explode. Because it struck above the top-side, the crew of ''Guerrero'', scrambling around on top, was hit by shrapnel. None of ''Guerrero''s crew were killed but at least three were wounded. After seeing ''Guerrero'' retreat, ''Tampico'' followed suit and came about and headed back into Topolobampo's harbor, northeast of Shell Point. It was later discovered by ''Guerrero''s crew that ''Tampico'' had sunk as the result of her battle damage.

Aftermath

Both of the vessels had ceased their firing by 6:40 pm because of the coming nightfall. ''Guerrero'' anchored off the bar and continued blockading, not realizing ''Tampico'' had sunk after entering the bay. Firing on both sides was again reported to be very wild by the Mexicans and the Americans. The range varied from away from each other; the range closed when ''Tampico'' exited the harbor for her attack. ''Tampico'' fired over 160 shells during the fight, from her 4-inch and 6-pounder guns. ''Guerrero'' fired 162 4-inch shells, of which 20 were shrapnel rounds and the others armor-piercing shells. Captain Malpica, just before the

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 ...

, told the officers of USS ''New Orleans'' their perspective of the engagement. USS ''New Orleans'' and eventually three other American

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

s would all have a hand in observing the situation. On April 2, ''Morelos'' returned from Altata and learnt of the battle. The federal gunboats did not know yet but they suspected that ''Tampico'' was

aground Ship grounding or ship stranding is the impact of a ship on seabed or waterway side. It may be intentional, as in beaching to land crew or cargo, and careening, for maintenance or repair, or unintentional, as in a marine accident. In accidenta ...

and not sunk, so Captain Torres ordered ''Morelos'' to get close to the bar and inspect ''Tampico''. At a range of , ''Morelos'' fired eleven shells at ''Tampico''. Half underwater, ''Tampico''s crew had not yet left her, fired eight shots in response, with no damage inflicted to either side. After finding out that ''Tampico'' was sunk and after deciding ''Tampico'' was no longer a threat to the federal government, the two Huertista gunboats withdrew from Topolobampo a week or so later but with the intention of continuing a blockade after being resupplied. ''Tampico'' would be salvaged by her crew and refloated to fight the Fourth Battle of Topolobampo. On April 9, a Constitutionalist

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, piloted by

Gustavo Salinas Camiña Gustavo Adolfo Salinas Camiña (1893–1964) was a pioneer aviator. He was the first to use a plane to attack a ship at sea in the action of 9 April 1914. He is buried in the "Panteón Municipal San José" located in the city of Cuatro Ciénegas d ...

would make history by fighting one of the first naval air actions in history.

References

* Stefoff, Rebecca. Independence and Revolution in Mexico. (New York, Facts On File Inc, 1993). {{coord missing, Sinaloa History of Mexico 1914 in Mexico

13 Third Battle Of Topolobampo Topolobampo 3 March 1914 events

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References