Luis Uribe
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Luis Uribe Orrego (August 13, 1847 – July 17, 1914) was a Vice-Admiral 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 ...
and a hero of 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 ...
. Luis Uribe was born in
Copiapó Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km nort ...
, the son of Juan José Uribe and of Rosario Orrego. He joined the navy on August 20, 1858, at the age of 9 years old, and graduated from the naval academy on July 16, 1861 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 ...
. His first post was on the "Esmeralda", where he travelled to the extreme south of Chile, to the
Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands ( es, Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic i ...
and to
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 ...
. Uribe was promoted to
ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
(equivalent of army's Second Lieutenant) in 1869, and the next year participated on a scientific expedition to
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
, where they prepared a topographic study. In 1872, he was sent as part of a naval mission to England, under command of Admiral José Anacleto Goñi, who was in charge of contracting the construction of 3 new ships. While there he met a Mrs. Newlove, a widow, of whom he fell in love. Admiral Goñi denied him permission to marry her, but he ignored the command and still went ahead with the wedding in 1874. As a result, he was relieved of his duties and court-martialled. He was finally clear of all charges after being defended by his classmate and lawyer
Arturo Prat Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (; April 3, 1848 – May 21, 1879) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific. During his career, Prat had taken part in several naval engagements, ...
. In 1875, he was in charge of a hydrographic expedition to the coasts of Aconcagua, work for which he received a prize at the International Exposition of Santiago of 1875. He also wrote a ''Treatise on Hydrography'' that became the study text for the naval academy. At the beginning of 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 ...
, Uribe was the second commander of the ''Esmeralda'', and their first mission was to blockade the Peruvian 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 191,468 ...
. On May 21, 1879 their ship faced the Huascar during the
Naval Battle of Iquique The Battle of Iquique was a naval engagement that occurred between a Chilean corvette under the command of Arturo Prat Chacón and a Peruvian ironclad under Miguel Grau Seminario on 21 May 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacif ...
. His commander and friend
Arturo Prat Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (; April 3, 1848 – May 21, 1879) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific. During his career, Prat had taken part in several naval engagements, ...
, together with most of the crew died that day, but Uribe continued fighting until the "Esmeralda" went under. He was captured while floating on the bay after the sinking together with only 62 survivors out of a complement of 197. As a prisoner, he was interned in the city of
Tarma '') , pushpin_map = Peru , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Region , subdivision_name1 = Junín , subdivision_type2 = Province ...
,
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 ...
. While a prisoner, Chile promoted him (for supreme heroism) to Lieutenant Commander on June 16, 1879. He and his sailors remained prisoners until November of that year, when they were exchanged for captured Peruvian sailors. Uribe returned to
Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, where he was given the command of the recently captured gunboat "Pilcomayo". During the rest of the war he participated actively in all naval actions and was promoted to Commander in 1884. After the end of the war, he became Governor of Valparaíso. He promoted the creation of the ''Revista de Marina'' (Naval Magazine), and was named Navy General Commander from 1887 to 1889. After the
1891 Chilean Civil War The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The war ...
, he was named director of the Naval Academy in 1892, position he retained until 1895. He retired from the navy on August 23, 1899. He continued writing in the ''Revista de Valparaíso''. In 1905, President German Riesco named him Minister of War and Navy and later Valparaíso Intendant. Uribe wrote many books on naval topics, such as ''Code of Naval Signals'', ''Naval Tactics'', ''Hydrography'', ''Project of a Naval Penal Code'', ''History of the Chilean Merchant Marine from 1810 to 1904'' and most specially ''Our Military Navy'', a history of the Chilean Navy from its creation until 1891 and widely considered the finest history on the topic. He died in
Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
at the age of 67 and was intombed in the pantheon to the ''Heroes of Iquique''.


External links

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Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uribe, Luis 1847 births 1914 deaths People from Copiapó Chilean people of Basque descent Chilean Ministers of Defense Chilean admirals Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific 19th-century Chilean Navy personnel