Blockade of Callao

Blockade of Callao
	Part of the War of the Pacific
	; An image published on 30 January 1881 by La Ilustración Española y Americana shows Civilians leaving the port before the shelling. Several US flags have been raised to mark neutral soil.
Date	10 April 1880-18 January 1881
Location	Port of Callao12°3′S 77°8′W / 12.050°S 77.133°W
Result	Chilean victory
Belligerents
Chile	Peru
Commanders and leaders
Manuel Baquedano	Germán Astete
Strength
1 ironclad; 2 torpedo boats; 3 gunboats; 1 transport	1 monitor; 2 torpedo boats; 1 armed tugboat; 1 training ship; 1 submarine
Casualties and losses
1 torpedo boat; 1 gunboat; 1 transport	1 monitor; 2 torpedo boats; 1 armed tugboat; 1 training ship; 1 submarine
	class=notpageimage\| Location within Lima Blockade of Callao (Peru) Blockade of Callao (South America)

The Blockade of Callao was a military operation that occurred during the War of the Pacific or the Salitre War and that consisted of the Chilean squadron preventing the entry of ships to the port of Callao and the neighboring coves between 10 April 1880 and 17 January 1881.

Blockade

Commencing on 10 April 1880, the Chilean Navy fleet began a light blockade of the Peruvian port of Callao. The Chilean fleet would slowly grow as additional ships became available from other regions of the campaign. Likewise, the Peruvian Navy would arm local vessels as equipment allowed.

Several times over the year that the blockade was effected, the Chilean fleet would sortie and bombard the city. This was frequently in response to a Peruvian attack, such as the repeated successful deployment of disguised floating bombs.

Scuttling of the Peruvian fleet

After the successful attacks on the

ironclad, the monitor Atahualpa, the corvette Unión, the training ship Apurímac, as well as Peru's first submarine, Toro Submarino

.

Ships scuttled

The Peruvian ships scuttled by its crew before they could being captured, included:

Name	Type	Fate
Apurímac	pontoon (ex-frigate)
Atahualpa	monitor	Salvaged 1881
Chalaco	steamship transport
Limeña	steamship transport
Loa	training ship
Oroya	steamship transport
República	torpedo boat
Rímac	steamship transport	Salvaged June 1881
Talismán	steamship transport
Toro Submarino	submarine
Unión	corvette

Surrender

Callao surrendered on 18 January 1881, the day after the fleet was scuttled.

References

^ Yábar 2001

navsource.org: USS Catawba
hazegray.org: USS Catawba
(in Spanish) Yábar Acuña, Francisco (2001). Las Fuerzas Sútiles y la defensa de costa en la Guerra del Pacífico, Fondo de Publicaciones Dirección de Intereses Marítimos.

External links

War of the Pacific

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[1] Yábar 2001