Chilean Civil War: The armored frigate Blanco Encalada was sunk at the Battle of Caldera Bay, the first ironclad warship lost to a self-propelled torpedo.

Chilean Civil War of 1891

Conflict between the Army (pro-President) and Navy (pro-Congress)

The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy,…

Chilean ironclad Blanco Encalada

Blanco Encalada was a central battery ship built by Earle's Shipbuilding Co. in England for the Chilean Navy in 1875. She was nicknamed El Blanco. She participated actively in the War of the Pacific, her most important action being the capture of the Peruvian monitor Huáscar…

Battle of Caldera Bay

Naval battle during the 1891 Chilean Civil War

The Battle of Caldera Bay, or the Sinking of Blanco Encalada, was a naval engagement fought in the Caldera Bay during the 1891 Chilean Civil War between Balmacedist and Congressional naval forces on 23 April 1891. It involved two Balmacedist torpedo boats of the Almirante…

Torpedo

Self-propelled underwater weapon

A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such a device was called an automotive,…