Chilean Civil War: The ironclad Blanco Encalada is sunk at Caldera Bay by torpedo boats.

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…

Caldera, Chile

City and Commune in Atacama, Chile

Caldera is a port city and commune in the Copiapó Province of the Atacama Region in northern Chile. It has a harbor protected by breakwaters, being the port city for the productive mining district centering on Copiapó to which it is connected by the first railroad constructed in…

Torpedo boat

Small, fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes.

April 23

Day of the year

April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 252 days remain until the end of the year.