Naval battle of Punta Gruesa
In may 21st 1879, the "Esmeralda" corvette alongside the "Covadonga" schooner where holding a blockade in the peruvian port of Iquique (Chile nowadays). At 6:45 am a sailor in the covadonga saw two smokes coming from the north. They were the peruvian ships, monitor "Huascar" and ironclad frigate "Independencia". Both chilean ships were no match for the armored ships. The "Esmeralda" (captain Arturo Prat), being older and slow, kept the defense at the port, while the "Covadonga" (captain Carlos Condell) made a run to the south and the "Huascar" (comander Miguel Gray) gave the order to "Independencia" (captain Juan Guillermo More) to follow and attack her. Condell knew he had no chance to face the 2000ton ironclad in open ocean, so he kept his course very close to the coast, risking to run his ship aground. As he was following the coast, their men kept firing the peruvians from their foreposts, as they tried to reload their big 250lb and 150lb cannons. This was a constant in the entire battle. Overconfident, the peruvian commander J.G. More gave the order to use their ram against the smaller ship. At Punta Gruesa, the covadonga barely passed through the reef. Condell and the men felt how the Covadonga shook as they moved over the ground below the sea, and knew the peruvian ship will fall for the trap, as they kept trying to use their ram. The Independencia couldn't pass the same spot and felt aground. Unable to move, the Independencia still was able to use their artillery, so Condell ordered to turn around and put their ship behind the peruvian ironclad at a safe spot from their cannons, and using their 70Lb ones, kept firing against the Independencia. When the peruvian sailors noticed that the chilean proyectiles were able to penetrate the armor, they surrendered. When Condell was sending the first boats to save the peruvian sailors, they noticed the Huascar coming from the north, and Condell gave the order to run south to Antofagasta.
Condell's victory meant 2/3 of the peruvian's naval force was defeated, as the Independencia was the most powerful ship in Peru's armada and even when the naval campaign lasted 6 months many people know the war against Peru was over in this battle as the Independencia was the only ship capable of facing the chilean ironclads Cochrane and Blanco Encalada.
Battle of Punta Gruesa
Size comparison