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Iquique Naval Combat is a battle that took place during the War of the Pacific between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru.

1 Context

During the first year of the war, Chilean war efforts were focused on destroying the Peruvian Navy. This, in order to clear the seas for the Chilean Navy, whose duty would be to help the army to conquer Bolivian and Peruvian territories with troop landings and port blockades.

During May 1879, the main ships of the Chilean Navy were sent towards Callao, Peru, in order to destroy the Peruvian Army whose location was suposed to be this Peruvian port. Meanwhile, two old, wooden ships -the Esmeralda and the Covadonga, commanded by Arturo Prat and Carlos Condell respectively -- were left blockading the Peruvian port of Iquique .

While the Chilean Navy was travelling towards Callao, two ships of the Peruvian Navy were travelling south. This ships were the Independencia and El Huáscar.

2 The Naval Combat of Iquique

During the morning of May 21, 1879, the watchtower of Esmeralda distinguished twho ships to the north. This ships were Peruvian Navy's Independencia and Huáscar.

Esmeralda and Covadonga tried to escape south, but only Covadonga could do it because Esmeralda's worn out motors blew up.

While El Huáscar attacked La Esmeralda, Independencia persecuted Covadonga towards south.

The ironclad Huáscar collided the wooden Eseralda many times. The second of this attacks was answered with the boarding of Huáscar by Esmeralda's captain, Arturo Prat, and other two sailors. They were all killed by gunfire. The third collision was followed by a boarding of somewhat 11 sailors, who were killed too. After receving heavy fire and El Huáscar collisions, La Esmeralda sank in Iquique Bay . Meanwhile, Covadonga tried to escape from Independencia.

3 The naval combat of Punta Gruesa

This is the second part of Iquique Naval Combat, altough is described many times as a combat independent from Iquique's.

Covadonga's crew realized that Independencia could not cross Punta Gruesa reef, altough they -in a smaller ship- could. Even with a ship as small as Covadonga, it almost jammed whit the reefs. After it cross them, always near the coast, the reefs blocked Independencia and it couldn't continue. Covadonga turn around and gun battered Independencia.

This way, one of Peruvian strongest ships was lost and only El Huáscar was left to fight the chilean Navy.