Second Battle of Iquique facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Iquique |
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| Part of Naval campaign of the War of the Pacific | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Peru |
 Chile |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Miguel Grau |
 Enrique Simpson Juan José Latorre |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ironclad | 1 ironclad, 1 gunboat and 1 transport | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 wounded | 5 wounded | ||||||
The Second Battle of Iquique was a sea fight during the War of the Pacific. It happened on July 10, 1879. In this battle, the Peruvian ship Huáscar met the Chilean navy ships that were blocking the port of Iquique. Both sides faced each other in the darkness of night.
Contents
Setting the Scene
The Peruvian warship Huáscar reached Arica on July 8, 1879. There, Peru's President, Mariano Ignacio Prado, gave an order. He wanted the Huáscar to go to Iquique under the cover of night. The goal was to sink one of the Chilean ships blocking the port. President Prado believed only one Chilean ship would be left there.
He thought this ship would be the corvette Abtao. However, the Chileans had changed their plans. Since July 8, their ships were ordered to move out to sea every night. This meant the Huáscar's mission would be harder than expected.
The Huáscar arrived at Pisagua around 9 PM on July 9. Its commander, Captain Miguel Grau Seminario, decided not to waste time. The Huáscar left Pisagua at 10 PM without getting any new information. They didn't know the exact location of the Chilean ships near Iquique.
The Night Battle Begins
The Huáscar reached Iquique at 12:45 AM on July 10. There were no Chilean ships in the port. So, a junior officer, Fermín Diez Canseco, went ashore. He found out that the Chilean ships had left earlier. The corvette Abtao and the transport ship Matías Cousiño had left at 3 PM. The ironclad Almirante Cochrane and the corvette Magallanes left at 6 PM.
The Huáscar's original mission was over because no Chilean ship was in the port. But Captain Grau decided to search for them anyway. This was a risky choice. He knew he might run into the powerful Almirante Cochrane, which he was told to avoid.
Encounter with the Matías Cousiño
About 10 miles from Iquique, at 2:20 AM, the Huáscar's lookout spotted a ship. It was the Matías Cousiño, a Chilean transport ship. The Huáscar told the Chilean ship to surrender. But the captain of the Matías Cousiño refused to lower the Chilean flag and tried to escape.
The Huáscar started firing at the transport ship. The Matías Cousiño moved quickly to make itself a smaller target. Still, at least three shots hit it. One shot went through its side and into a storage area. Captain Grau first ordered his crew to capture the Chilean ship. But then he realized other Chilean warships were nearby. He changed his order: the crew should abandon the Matías Cousiño and sink it. The Matías Cousiño kept trying to get away. The Huáscar continued to shell it, causing a lot of damage.
Fight with the Magallanes
The sound of the cannons brought the corvette Magallanes closer. At first, the Huáscar started to pull back, thinking it was the Almirante Cochrane. But then Captain Grau realized it was a smaller ship. He decided to attack the approaching Chilean ship. A fight began between the Huáscar and the Magallanes.
The Magallanes was led by Captain Juan José Latorre. When it was about 300 meters away, it fired a shot at the Huáscar. The battle lasted from 3:00 AM to 3:35 AM. Both ships fired at each other in the dark. The Magallanes tried to keep the Huáscar busy. This was to give the Chilean armored ship Almirante Cochrane time to arrive.
Captain Grau tried to use the Huáscar's ram to sink the Magallanes. A ram was a sharp point on the front of the ship, used to crash into enemy vessels. But the Magallanes was very fast and well-handled by Captain Latorre. It avoided the Huáscars ram many times. One shot from the Magallanes hit the Huáscars side, but it didn't go through.
The Magallanes fired several cannon shots and many rifle bullets. The Huáscar fired its large 300-pound cannons and used rifles and machine guns.
The Chase Begins
The Magallanes fired flares and its cannons made a lot of noise. This signaled the Almirante Cochrane to come. When the Almirante Cochrane was about 2,000 meters away, the Huáscar turned north to escape. The Almirante Cochrane and the Magallanes chased the Huáscar until 11 AM on July 10. The chase ended near Pisagua. The Chilean ships gave up because the Huáscar was faster than the Almirante Cochrane.
The Abtao was not part of this battle. It was being repaired far from the port.
What Happened Next
Both sides said they won the battle. The Huáscar couldn't sink a Chilean ship because none were in Iquique when it arrived. In its fight with the Magallanes, the ram didn't work. This was because the Magallanes was a very quick and easy-to-move ship. A ram was usually effective against ships that couldn't move well, like the Esmeralda in an earlier battle.
The Huáscar escaped the Chilean chase without any damage. However, the Chilean transport ship Matías Cousiño was badly damaged and kept leaking water.
Captain Latorre was praised for fighting the powerful Huáscar with his smaller Magallanes. He managed to hold the Huáscar long enough for the Almirante Cochrane to get close. Even though the Huáscar was faster and got away, Latorre's actions were important.
Because of his actions in this battle, the Peruvian government suggested promoting Miguel Grau. On August 28, 1879, he was officially promoted to Rear Admiral. This was for his bravery in both the Battle of Iquique and the Second Battle of Iquique.
See also
In Spanish: Segundo combate naval de Iquique para niños
