The schooner ''Virgen de Covadonga'' was a ship that participated in 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 ...

and 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 ...

, under Spanish and Chilean flags. She was launched in 1859. ''Covadonga'' hit a floating mine and sank off

Chancay Chancay is a small city located north of Lima. Its population is 63,378. The Chancay culture was a pre-Columbian archaeological culture, later part of the Inca Empire. History It was founded in 1562 under the name of Villa de Arnedo. The ma ...

in 1880.

Construction

A Royal Order of 10 June 1857, led to ''Covadonga''s

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

being laid at the Arsenal de la Carraca in

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, Spain, on 13 February 1858. She was a wooden

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

that was also fitted with steam propulsion. She was launched on 28 November 1859, and her construction cost a total of 5 million ''Reales de Vellón''. She was named for the

Battle of Covadonga The Battle of Covadonga took place in 718 or 722 between the army of Pelagius the Visigoth and the army of the Umayyad Caliphate. Fought near Covadonga in the Picos de Europa, either in 718 or 722, it resulted in a victory for the forces of Pel ...

- a highly symbolic event in Spanish history, being considered the beginning of the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

. She was commissioned by Royal Command on 8 October 1858. Her first commander was Lieutenant Evaristo Casariego y García. She was originally intended as a mail boat between

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

, with her berth at the Naval Base of Manila, in the Philippine Islands.

Chincha Islands War service

During the

, ''Covadonga'' served as an auxiliary ship to the Spanish fleet. The Chilean

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 ...

, under the command of captain Juan Williams Rebolledo, captured ''Covadonga'' during the Naval Battle of Papudo, on 26 November 1865. Her capture led to Spanish Admiral

Juan Manuel Pareja ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanis ...

committing suicide. ''Covadonga'' was commissioned into the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the War ...

on 4 December 1865, under her original name. During this war, she also participated at the Naval Battle of Abtao.

War of the Pacific service

During the

, ''Covadonga'' and ''Esmeralda'', as the oldest and slowest ships of the Chilean navy, were left behind to blockade the port of

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, ...

. There they participated in one of the most important naval battles of the war. ''Esmeralda'' faced the

ironclad An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. Th ...

at the Naval Battle of Iquique, and ''Covadonga'' managed to escape from the attacks of the Peruvian

when the latter collided with a submerged rock and sank, after trying to ram the schooner, Naval Battle of Punta Gruesa, both on 21 May 1879. On 8 June 1880, she was hit by shore based artillery fire at

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a 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 city is the capita ...

, Peru and was beached.

Fate

On 13 September 1880, while enforcing a blockade in the port of Chancay,

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 ...

, the sailors of ''Covadonga'' saw an unmanned boat loaded with fresh fruit and produce being carried by the currents. When they tried to lift the boat it exploded as the Peruvians had rigged it as a floating mine. ''Covadonga'' sank in less than 10 minutes. In the disaster, out of the 109 men of the crew, the commander, Captain Pablo Ferrari, and 32 sailors died, 29 were rescued by the gun-boat ''Pilcomayo'', and 48 were captured by the Peruvians. Also among the dead was petty officer Constantino Micalvi, a survivor of the Naval Battle of Iquique.

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

Official description from the Chilean Navy

Historical Text Archive, Chile: A Brief Naval History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virjen de Covadonga History of Chile Ships of the Spanish Navy Naval ships of Chile Ships built in Spain Chincha Islands War Captured ships Ships of the War of the Pacific Ships sunk by mines Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Schooners Maritime incidents in 1879 Maritime incidents in June 1880 Maritime incidents in September 1880 1859 ships Shipwrecks of the War of the Pacific Shipwrecks of Peru