José Galvarino Riveros Cárdenas (December 2, 1829 – January 11, 1892) was a

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 naval officer,

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the Chilean Squadron 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 ...

. He was born in

Curaco de Vélez Curaco de Vélez is Chilean commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of Quinchao. History Curaco ...

, Sector Changüitad, Isla de Quinchao, Chiloé, Chile on December 2, 1829. He was son of Captain Juan Antonio Riveros of the Independencia and of Mercedes Cárdenas, daughter of Lorenzo Cárdenas Díaz, a royalist officer. He lived his childhood in Changüitad, the land of his mother, in the neighborhood of Curaco de Vélez. The move occurred shortly after his birth and this has led to various sources being consigned to Changüitad or to Curaco de Vélez as the site of his birth. Nevertheless, this is contradicted by his baptismal certificate, which was filed in

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

. In 1843, the general

Jose Santiago Aldunate Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

placed him in the military academy after having lost his father. In 1848 he entered the squadron, and embarked aboard the steamer ''Chile'' as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

. Among his companions were the sailors Simpson, Bynnon and Munoz Gamero, later superior heads of 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 Wars ...

. In 1848 he made a study trip to

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

aboard the French frigate ''Poursuivante'', under the command of Admiral Legoumet. One of the first hydrographic expeditions was to the

Toltén River Toltén River is a river located in the La Araucanía Region of Chile. It rises at Villarrica Lake, close to the city of the same name. Its major tributary is the Allipén River. From its confluence with the Allipén, the river follows a braided ...

, in a period in which the Araucanía had not yet been conquered. He was promoted to

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 ...

in 1851, and, under orders of the commander Bynnon, made a trip to Europe in 1857 to bring to Chile the warship ''Maria Isabel''. He was second chief of that ship when he was shipwrecked in Misericordia Bay. In 1859 he was promoted to the rank of

Corvette Captain Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy uses ...

, and

Frigate Captain Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain. It is usually equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander. Countries using this rank include Argentina ...

in 1866. In 1863 he was sent to patrol the north coast, from Atacama to

Mejillones Mejillones is a Chilean port city and commune in Antofagasta Province in the Antofagasta Region. Its name is the plural form of the Spanish meaning "mussel", referring to a particularly abundant species and preferred staple food of its indigeno ...

, with the mission to monitor the border. He had control of the warships "Emeralda", "Independencia", and "Corbeta Abtao". In 1872 he was appointed maritime governor of Valparaiso and in 1876, he obtained the rank of

Ship-of-the-line Captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

War of the Pacífic

At the outbreak of war, he was appointed commander of the

Chilean ironclad Blanco Encalada ''Blanco Encalada'' was a central battery ship built by Earle's Shipbuilding Co. in England for the Chilean Navy in 1875. She was nicknamed ''El Blanco''. She participated actively in the War of the Pacific, her most important action being the c ...

and chief of a naval division that comprised 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 ...

''O'Higgins'', the '' Magallanes'', and the transport ''Amazonas''. After the failure 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. ...

, he was given the control of the squadron. He captured the ''Huáscar'' in the

Battle of Angamos The Battle of Angamos ( es, Combate de Angamos) was a naval encounter of the War of the Pacific fought between the navies of Chile and Perú at Punta Angamos, on 8 October 1879. The battle was the culminating point of a naval campaign that las ...

on October 8, 1879, by which he virtually annihilated the naval power of

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 ...

. Promoted to the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

of the squadron, he participated in the war using the navy in support of ground forces. When the conflict was over, he returned to Chile with part of the expeditionary army, leaving the command of the squadron to the captain of navy Juan Jose Latorre. He retired from the navy on August 20, 1881. He died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

on January 11, 1892.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riveros Cárdenas, Galvarino 1829 births 1892 deaths Chilean Navy personnel of the War of the Pacific 19th-century Chilean Navy personnel People from Valdivia