Peruvian frigate Apurímac
![]() The frigate Apurímac under sail
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History | |
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Name | Apurímac |
Ordered | August 1852 |
Builder | Richard & Henry Green Shipyard, Blackwall (United Kingdom) |
Laid down | 1853 |
Launched | July 1854 |
Commissioned | August 1855 |
Renamed | Callao (1858-1863) |
Fate | Scuttled to prevent capture in Callao harbor, January 16, 1881 |
Notes | Served as training ship from 1873 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Screw-propelled steam frigate |
Tons burthen | 1,666 tons bm |
Length | 62.17 m (204 ft 0 in) |
Beam | 13.10 m (43 ft 0 in) |
Draft | 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in) |
Propulsion |
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Sail plan | Frigate sail rigging |
Speed |
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Complement | 200 |
Armament |
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BAP Apurímac was the second steam frigate of the Peruvian Navy, built in England in 1855 along with the steam schooners Loa and Tumbes as a part of a major build-up of the Navy during the government of President José Rufino Echenique. A veteran of two wars and many internal conflicts, due to her age, she served as training ship in Callao port from 1873 until January 17, 1881, when she was scuttled along with the rest of the Peruvian Navy to prevent capture by Chilean troops who had occupied the port after the defeat of the Peruvian Army in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores.
Construction
In 1852, Peru had one of South America's most powerful navies. It had two steam warships, the
Service history
Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858
On November 16, 1856, the frigate, anchored in
Then Apurímac sailed north and stirred up an insurrection on the schooner Loa, sent by the government to intercept the rebel ship. By this point, President Castilla had declared that the rebel ships were
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Fragata_Apur%C3%ADmac_1855.jpg/300px-Fragata_Apur%C3%ADmac_1855.jpg)
On November 27, 1856, Apurímac and Tumbes raided and then left the port of Arica after the refusal of the garrison to resupply the rebel ships. On December 28, the fleet captured the
She returned on April 30, 1857, carrying Vivanco and his army on board with the help of the steamer Huaras, disembarking all the troops the next day in the mouth of the
The Peruvian government took new measures to recover the control of the sea, and on May 21 signed an accord with representatives of Great Britain and France to allow their ships to protect the production of guano and their economic interests. The original reward for her capture was raised to 500,000 pesos. At the same time, President Castilla offered an unconditional pardon to the rebellious sailors. Knowing this, along with the fact that Apurímac could be defeated by the French and British steam frigates, the rebel officers decided to surrender the fleet, which left the Chincha Islands on May 22 and arrived at Callao two days later where it was seized by the government.
Renamed Callao by President Castilla on April 28, 1858,[3] in honor to the defenders of this province that fight for the Government against the rebels.
War with Ecuador of 1857–1860
The frigate participated in the blockade of Guayaquil under the command of Admiral Ignacio Mariátegui y Telleria as flagship of the Peruvian Navy. This blockade started on November 4, 1858, and lasted for a year until the assault and capture of the port in November 1860.
After the campaign, the frigate was laid up in a floating dock near San Lorenzo Island, but on December 17, 1860, the ship sank along with the dock.[3] On board the ship was her commander, Captain Silva Rodríguez and the entire crew, including cooks, musicians, and visitors from Callao. The ship rolled to port, killing 100 people, including crewman and dock operators, and leaving 88 wounded.
Raising and reconstruction
To recover the ship, the Plenipotentiary Minister of Perú in the United States, Federico Barreda, contracted the brothers Renton and Addison Crosby of Brooklyn to perform the difficult task for 100,000 pesos. The ship was almost raised on September 11, 1863, but the lack of hoses to extract water from the hull prevented the wreck from being completely raised, and she sank again.
After three years submerged, the ship was raised and beached on San Lorenzo Island on April 16, 1863, and renamed Apurímac again.[3] She received extensive repairs between 1863 and 1864, which included the addition of rail armor in the floating line and the protection of the hull with chains,[1] but these modifications reduced her speed to 7 knots (13 km/h) with steam, and affected her maneuverability. The start of the Civil War of 1865 caught Apurímac without masts, nevertheless the frigate participated in the bombardment of Arica that same year.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Naval_Battle_of_Abtao_%281866%29.jpg/300px-Naval_Battle_of_Abtao_%281866%29.jpg)
Immediately after the declaration of war against Spain, Apurímac (still unmasted),[3] along with the steam frigate Amazonas, was sent to Chile under the command of Captain Lizardo Montero to join the Chilean schooner Covadonga in the Chiloé Archipelago, and to await the arrival of two new steam corvettes of the Peruvian Navy, Unión and America.
On January 15, 1866, almost arriving to the point of reunion, theAmazonas, that was with problems engine ran aground and was lost in
On February 7, the Spanish steam frigates Reina Blanca and Villa de Madrid appeared off the inlet of Abtao with the mission to destroy it. The allied fleet, aware of the enemy presence, Villar ordered to forme a line of battle in the opposite inlet, covering the three entrances to the naval post. The Spanish frigates slowly entered the cove but Apurímac started the battle by opening fire at 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), being followed by the rest of the allied fleet.[4]
The Spanish ships returned fire, but the accurate gunnery of the allied ships forced them to seek cover behind Abtao island, and continue the battle with elevation shots.[4] Finally, the Spaniards slowly retreated after two hours of battle and 1,500 shots from both sides. Apurímac received moderate damage, with three impacts in her floating line[4] and minor damage on the main deck. The ship remained in Chile until the end of the war.
Later years: War of the Pacific
After her arrival at Callao, the ship received general repairs and was finally masted, serving until 1873 when her boilers and engine became unusable and were removed.[1] The frigate was then recommissioned as a training vessel. In 1877, the rail and chain armor installed in 1865 was removed during a major repair, allowing the recovery of her original stability.[1]
Apurímac continued in that role until the start of the War of the Pacific, when the frigate remained in Callao harbor as a hulk during the first part of the war. She escaped damage from the continuous attacks of the Chilean Navy during the
Notes
References
- Adamson, Robert E. & de St. Hubert, Christian (1991). "Question 12/89". Warship International. XXVIII (2): 199–205. ISSN 0043-0374.
- (in Spanish) Comisión Cultural del Centro Naval del Perú (1984). A la Gloria del Gran Almirante del Perú Miguel Grau, 3rd Edition, Centro Naval del Perú.
- (in Spanish) Carvajal Pareja, Melitón (2006). Historia Marítima del Perú, Tomo XI, volumen 2, Lima. Instituto de Estudios Histórico Marítimos del Perú. ISBN 9972-633-05-5.
- Warship International Staff (1975). "Question 84/73: Navies of Chile, Peru and Ecuador during the Spanish Intervention of 1866". Warship International. XII (4): 350–351. ISSN 0043-0374.
- (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.
- "El Combate de Abtao – Los Partes de Guerra - 1". Cuadernos de Caicaen (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 August 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.