The Naval Battle of Papudo was a naval engagement fought between

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

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 forces on November 26, 1865, 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 ...

. It was fought 55 miles north of Valparaiso,

, near the coastal town of Papudo.

Background

Until November 1865, Chile had been the only country firm in its declaration of war against Spain, which desired to recapture its lost South American colonies. Through the efforts of its president,

Mariano Ignacio Prado Mariano Ignacio Prado Ochoa (December 18, 1825 – May 5, 1901) was a Peruvian army general who served as the 16th (1865 - 1868) and 21st (1876 - 1879) President of Peru. Biography Born in Huánuco on December 18, 1825, he studied in Huanuco an ...

, Peru was subsequently galvanized into action against Spain. Familiar with Spanish naval movements, the Chilean corvette '' Esmeralda'', under the command of

Juan Williams Rebolledo Juan Williams Rebolledo (1825 in Curacaví, Melipilla Province – 24 June 1910 in Santiago), was a Chilean rear admiral who was the organizer and commander-in-chief of the Chilean navy in 1879 at the beginning of the War of the Pacific. ...

, and whose crew included Arturo Prat, Juan José Latorre and Carlos Condell, waited for any Spanish ships to appear between Coquimbo and Valparaíso. The Chileans hoisted a British flag on their ship and maneuvered themselves close to the Spanish ship '' Virgen de Covadonga'', under the command of Luis Fery (or Ferry), who thought that the ship may have been one of the similarly built British vessels ''Shearwater'', ''Colombina'', or ''Mutine''. The ''Esmeralda'' opened fire on the ''Covadonga'', which returned fire, but the Chilean gunners proved more skillful. After the ''Covadonga'' received severe hits that incapacitated its crew, the Spaniards attempted to escape, but it was too late. The Esmeralda followed her, continuing to fire. Fery called out his surrender to Williams Rebolledo, who ordered

Manuel Thomson Thomas Thomson Porto Manuel Mariño (3 November 1839 – 27 February 1880) was a Chilean frigate captain of the Chilean Navy, who fought and died during the War of the Pacific. Thomson was given command of the ironclad vessel ''Huáscar'' ...

to take possession of the Spanish ship. Chilean engineers then worked to save the captured vessel. All in all, the battle lasted only half an hour. In addition to Commander Fery, six Spanish officers, and 115 sailors were taken as prisoners. The Chileans also captured the correspondence of Spanish Admiral Juan Manuel Pareja. This action, together with the general failure of Spanish operations during the

, led to Pareja committing suicide on board his flagship a few days later. ''Covadonga'', now a vessel in the Chilean Navy, later saw combat in the Battle of Iquique 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 ...

External links

Description of the battle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papudo, Battle Of History of South America Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving Chile Battles of the Chincha Islands War History of Valparaíso Region Conflicts in 1865 1865 in Chile November 1865 events