Warships in the War of the Pacific 1879-83: South America’s Ironclad Naval Campaign

48 pages

Prof Andrew Lambert

 

The War of the Pacific involved three nations, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, which shared an economic interest in the guano trade, the accumulation of seabird droppings that provided Europe with fertilisers and saltpetre for gunpowder. When Bolivia raised taxes on Chilean owned firms operating on its’ territory Chile declared war and Bolivia invoked its alliance with Peru: it had no Navy. With no useful land communications across the Atacama Desert the conflict hinged on sea control. Chile had two relatively modern British built ironclads, Peru two older British built vessels, and two ex-American Civil War monitors. Chile also had the larger force of unarmoured cruisers. Peru had dry docks – Chile did not. However, Chile won the naval war, seized the Bolivian Coast, and some of the Peruvian, before landing an army in Peru, capturing Lima, and imposing peace. Chile won because it had better trained personnel, a more modern fleet (with thicker armour and faster firing heavy guns), along with enough money to equip an army and exploit command of the sea.

This remains the only significant war that either navy fought after gaining independence from Spain in the 1820s. It provided both navies with suitable heroes, brave officers killed in battle. Both Chile’s Arturo Prat and Peru’s Miguel Grau died on board the Peruvian turret ironclad Huascar, which was captured by Chile, and remains afloat as a national monument. Other names from this war still resonate, especially in Chile. At the war’s end Peru had no warships, and Bolivia no coast – while Chile took control of the guano trade, acquiring a naval tradition, and a maritime identity, complete with some striking images of ironclad warfare, commissioned from British artist Thomas Somerscales, then resident in Valparaiso. The modern Chilean Navy came of age in this war.

In the absence of any naval warfare since 1866 this conflict quickly became the focus of professional attention, although any ‘lessons’ were limited by the small forces engaged, and the weakness of the Peruvian force. Angus Konstam’s thorough and insightful account is complemented by a range of contemporary images and new graphics, including a cutaway of the Huascar. Essential reading for anyone liaising with the Chilean Navy, and a case study in the strategic exploitation of sea control.