Battle of Chipana

The Battle of Chipana took place on 12 April 1879, 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 = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. It was the first naval engagement between both navies and took place in front of

Huanillos Huanillos is a small seaside village in Chile and a big source of huano (guano) in the 19th century. Location Huanillos, sometimes Guanillos is located in the shore of the region of Tarapaca, Chile. It is 130 km south from Iquique, the c ...

, off the (then) Bolivian coast, as the Peruvian corvette Unión and gunboat found the Chilean corvette ''Magallanes'' on its way to

Iquique Iquique () is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It has a population of 191, ...

. After a two-hour running artillery duel, ''Unión'' suffered engine problems, the pursuit was called off. ''Magallanes'' escaped with minor damage and had completed part of its mission, delivering commissioned papers to Iquique, but could not complete its

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

mission of finding if any guano ships were still trading in the zone. History of South America Naval battles involving Chile Naval battles involving Peru Naval battles of the War of the Pacific Conflicts in 1879 1879 in Chile Battles and conflicts without fatalities Battle of Chipana April 1879 events {{Chile-mil-stub