Battle of Abtao

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Battle of Abtao

Spanish ships Villa de Madrid and Reina Blanca during the battle.

Date	February 7, 1866
Location	Abtao, near Chiloe
Result	Inconclusive, but Spain withdraws

Combatants

Spain

Peru and Chile

Commanders

Claudio Alvar González
Juan Topete

Manuel Villar

Strength

2 ships in actual combat

4 ships defending

Casualties

unknown

Chincha Islands War
Papudo – Abtao – Callao

The Naval Battle of Abtao took place on February 7, 1866 between a Spanish naval squadron and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet.

1 Background
2 Battle
3 Aftermath
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Background

Sent by Peruvian president Mariano Ignacio Prado, who had rallied the South Americans in defense against Spanish aggression. The allies had sailed in convey from the town of Ancud to the There they waited.

The Spanish commander Casto Méndez Núñez, after learning of the location of the Peruvian-Chilean fleet, lifted the blockade on Valparaiso and sailed towards Abtao.

On January 16, 1866, the combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet, composed of the Peruvian frigates Apurimac and Amazonas and the recently captured and refurbished Chilean schooner Covadonga, convoyed from the port of Ancud towards the shipyards on the little island of Abtao, at the head of the southern Chiloé Archipielago, where the Chileans had also built some military fortifications, and which were strategically located at the end of shallow and treacherous channel.

[edit] Battle

The Spanish steam frigates Villa de Madrid and Reina Blanca appeared off the inlet of Abtao on February 7, 1866, but did not enter, fearing the shallow water.

Manuel Villar, Commander of the Peruvian First Naval Division and commander of the combined fleet, ordered the attack when the Spaniards began to proceed through the widest channel. The allied ships included Apurímac, América, Unión, and Covadonga.

The fleets engaged shots; the Spanish had 96 guns in total, the allies 57. Spanish fire remained ineffective against the determined allies, as the Spaniards feared proceeding further into the channel and the unknown hydrography in the environs of Abtao Island. The Spanish fleet began to withdraw, suffering the worst of the battle, and retreated to Valparaiso. The battle raised morale amongst the South Americans -raising men like to the level of heroes-, who had proven to themselves and to the world that they could demonstrate their courage and military capacity against a European power. They were to demonstrate their abilities again at the Battle of Callao, in which the Spaniards were forced to withdraw once again after bombardment of the Peruvian port of Callao.

[edit] Aftermath

When Rear Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez learnt about the results of Abtao, he travelled south with the Numancia, Resolución and Reina Blanca to try to force a new combat with the allies. But all his efforts were unsuccessful. The Allied fleet had moved to Huito, a position of much more difficult access than Abtao.

On March 25, the Peruvian corvettes Unión and América were sent to the Strait of Magellan to intercept the Spanish frigate Almansa, that according to intelligence reports had been dispatched from Spain to reinforce the Pacific fleet. The Peruvian ships remained in the area for over a month, but were not able to locate it. The Almansa didn't arrive to the Pacific coast until the end of April. El gobierno chileno envió también al vapor Maipú al Estrecho de Magallanes para interceptar a los vapores españoles Odessa y Vascongada.

El resto de a flota aliada se mantuvo a la defensiva en el sur de Chile a la espera de la llegada de los blindados Huáscar e Independencia, destinados a convertirse en el factor que cambiaría el equilibrio de fuerzas. Ambas naves habían partido desde Brest el 26 de febrero, en la que sería una larga y difícil travesía, escoltadas por el vapor británico Thames, que transportaba carbón y otras provisiones. El 30 de marzo de 1866, frente a aguas brasileñas, los blindados peruanos causaron un nuevo revés a los españoles al interceptar a los bergantines peninsulares Dorotea y Paco. El primero fue destruido mientras que el segundo, de rápido andar, logró evadir la captura.

[edit] Trivia

Sub-lieutenant Patricio Montojo y Pasarón, later to become an Admiral and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Navy in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, participated in this battle from the frigate Almansa.

Lieutenants Arturo Prat (Chilean) and Miguel Grau (Peruvian) who were later to battle each other at the Naval Battle of Iquique, were comrades in this battle.