Third Battle of Topolobampo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Third Battle of Topolobampo
Part of the Mexican Revolution
A map of Topolobampo and Topolobampo Bay. Shell Point is clearly visible, west of Topolobampo, sticking out into the Gulf of California.
Date March 31, 1914 Location off Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico Result Huertista victory
Belligerents
Constitutionalists	Huertistas
Commanders and leaders
Captain Hilario Malpica	Captain Navio Torres
Strength
1 gunboat	1 gunboat
Casualties and losses
none, 1 gunboat sunk	3 wounded, 1 gunboat damaged
Both federal and rebel forces flew the same Mexican National Ensign during the naval campaign off Topolobampo.

The Third Battle of Topolobampo was a naval fight during the Mexican Revolution. In late March 1914, a ship from the Constitutionalist side tried to break a blockade at Topolobampo, Sinaloa. They had already tried and failed in the First and Second Battles of Topolobampo. In this battle, the Constitutionalist warship Tampico was sunk. It was defeated in just a few hours by a ship from the Huertista side.

Why the Battle Happened

After two small fights near Topolobampo, Lieutenant Hilario Malpica was promoted. He became a Captain thanks to General Álvaro Obregón. Obregón later became a president of Mexico. Captain Malpica still faced a big problem. Two enemy ships were blocking Topolobampo's harbor.

These ships were the Morelos and the Guerrero. Captain Navio Torres was in charge of the Guerrero. The Guerrero had been blocking the port since March 2, 1914. The Morelos joined a few days later. Sometimes, the Morelos left to get supplies and coal. On March 30, the Morelos left again. This left the Guerrero alone. Captain Malpica saw this as his chance to end the blockade.

The Battle Begins

At 4:32 PM on March 31, 1914, the Tampico sailed out of the harbor. It immediately attacked the Guerrero. At that moment, Captain Navio Torres was visiting an American ship. This was the United States cruiser USS New Orleans. The New Orleans was watching the naval fights near Topolobampo.

The Tampico fired its guns, but missed the Guerrero. The Guerrero fired back with its own guns. The New Orleans quickly moved away. It was too close to safely watch the fight. The Guerrero took a position facing the Tampico. Around 5:30 PM, Captain Malpica in the Tampico reached a spot near Shell Point. From there, he fired at the Guerrero again.

Ships Exchange Fire

The Guerrero immediately fired back. Its shots hit the Tampico twice in the officers' living areas. This caused a lot of damage. The Tampico was hit four more times near its front. One shot hit below the water line. Five other shots hit the Tampico at the water line. One of these was in the middle of the ship.

Amazingly, Captain Malpica and his sixty crew members were not hurt. All these hits happened while the Tampico was first moving towards the Guerrero. Despite the damage, both ships kept firing until 6:00 PM. Then, the Tampico turned around. After a short pause, the Tampico moved again. It headed straight for the Guerrero. The Tampico went over the sandbar and then got stuck. By 6:15 PM, the Tampico freed itself. It then headed northwest, again straight for the Guerrero. The American ship New Orleans reported that the Tampico was firing "wildly."

Guerrero Retreats

Around 6:30 PM, it started to get dark. Captain Navio Torres, on the Guerrero's bridge, decided to retreat. But he kept firing at the Tampico. The Guerrero was hit three times by the Tampico. One shot hit the starboard side of the lower deck but did not explode. Another landed on the deck but also did not explode. The third hit a support beam outside the bridge. This one did explode. Because it hit above the top deck, the crew on deck were hit by small pieces of metal. No one on the Guerrero was killed, but at least three were hurt.

After seeing the Guerrero retreat, the Tampico also turned around. It headed back into Topolobampo's harbor. This was northeast of Shell Point. Later, the Guerrero's crew found out that the Tampico had sunk. This was because of the damage it took during the battle.

After the Battle

Both ships stopped firing by 6:40 PM because it was getting dark. The Guerrero anchored near the sandbar. It kept blocking the port. The crew did not know the Tampico had sunk after entering the bay. Both Mexican and American observers said the firing from both sides was very wild. The ships were between 9,000 and 2,000 yards apart. They got closer when the Tampico left the harbor to attack.

The Tampico fired over 160 shells during the fight. The Guerrero fired 162 shells. Captain Malpica later told officers from the USS New Orleans his side of the story. The USS New Orleans and three other American warships watched the situation.

On April 2, the Morelos returned. It learned about the battle. The federal ships didn't know for sure, but they thought the Tampico was stuck, not sunk. So Captain Torres ordered the Morelos to check the Tampico. From 8,000 yards away, the Morelos fired eleven shells at the Tampico. The Tampico's crew, still on board their half-sunk ship, fired eight shots back. No damage was done to either side.

After finding out the Tampico was sunk, the two Huertista ships left Topolobampo. They planned to return later to continue the blockade. The Tampico would later be pulled from the water by its crew. It was fixed up to fight in the Fourth Battle of Topolobampo. On April 9, a Constitutionalist biplane, flown by Gustavo Salinas Camiña, made history. It was one of the first naval air battles ever.