Torpedo boats in the War of the Pacific

The introduction of fast torpedo boats in the late 19th century was a serious concern to navies of an era that saw a number of innovations in naval warfare, including the first torpedo boats, which carried spar torpedoes, steam propulsion and steel ships.

Clements Robert Markham, later president of the Royal Geographical Society, an English eyewitness of the War of the Pacific stated:
:''The value of fast torpedo boats in maintaining a blockade cannot be over-estimated. They are not only the "eyes" but the "legs" of a squadron. Not only are they of use in preventing the escape of any of the enemy's ships, but they also afford protection to their own fleet, giving timely notice of approaching danger at night by a prearranged system of flashing lights, and in the daytime by their great speed. The thoroughness of the blockade of Callao was undoubtedly due, in a great measure, to the Chilean torpedo boats''.

Chilean torpedo boats

With the exception of ''Vedette'', all boat names are of Mapudungun provenance.

Torpedo boat ''Vedette''

''Vedette'' was built in Yarrow of Poplar (Yard nr. 495) and arrived to Valparaíso on 17 October 1879 on board of ''Belle of Cork''. She was assembled in Valparaíso and in 1893 she was still listed by the navy. The name seems to be the name of the boat class rather than the proper name of a boat.
* Displacement: 10 t
* Power:
* Ship armament: 2 × Spar torpedo
* Length:
* Speed: 16.5 kn

Torpedo boats built 1880

Yet 1880 were delivered to Chile two torpedo boats bought from Yarrow of Poplar shipyard., (Yard nr. 476) and ''Tucapel'' (Yard nr. 475):
* Displacement: 5 t / 30 t
* Length: 14.63 m
* Beam: 2.44 m
* Power: 60 HP
* Speed: 12.5 kn
* Ship armament: 2 × Spar torpedo + 2 x Hotchkiss machine gun
They could be stowed in the major ships of the navy and ''Colo Colo'' was brought by railway to Puno and then to the Titicaca Lake (elevation of ) in order to impede guerrilla activities in the zone.

Torpedo boats built 1880–82

During the War of the Pacific the Chilean Navy bought ten torpedo boats from the Yarrow of Poplar shipyard.
* Displacement: 25–30 tons
* Power: 400 HP
* Ship armament: 2 × Spar torpedo + 1 x Hotchkiss machine gun
* Length: 26–30 m
* Speed:

Peruvian torpedo boats

1879 the Peruvian Government bought three torpedo boats: ''Alay'', '' Alianza'' and ''República'' from the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, Rhode Island, United States, although R. V. Simpson states that the third boat was never delivered to Perú.

''República'' and ''Alianza'' arrived in Perú in August and September 1879. Both boats were scuttled ''Alianza'' aftermath the Battle of Arica in June 1880 and ''República'' in January 1881 in the Blockade of Callao, to prevent their capture by the Chilean forces.

''Alay'' was secretly transported by ship to Colon, Panama in the Caribbean Sea. From Colon she was transported by rail to Panama City, on the Pacific Ocean. On 2 December ''Alay'' sailed, bound for Perú but on 24 December 1879, the Chilean gunned transport ''Amazonas'' captured the boat in the Ecuadorian port Ballenita. In Chile she was renamed ''Guacolda'' and commissioned into the Chilean navy and fought in the Blockade of Callao between April of 1880 and January of 1881. It sank on April 4, 1881 while being towed off Chincha Islands

* Displacement:All Guacolda data fro
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/ref> 6 t
* Power: 1 máquina a vapor alternativa de dos cilindros
* Ship armament: 2 Spar torpedo + 1 x Hotchkiss 37 mm machine gun
* Length:
* Speed:

See also

* List of decommissioned ships of the Chilean Navy

References

Sources

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{{Chilean torpedo boats

Torpedo boats of the Chilean Navy
Ships of the War of the Pacific