HUÁSCAR MONITOR

Two commanders lost their lives on board the Huáscar: Arturo Prat, commander of theEsmeralda, in the first collision on May 21, 1879, in the harbor of Iquique; and Michel Grau, Peruvian commander of the Huáscar and gentleman before the Lord, during the battle of Angamo, on October 8, 1879. It was during this battle that the Chilean fleet finally managed to capture the battleship. Once the Huáscar was captured, the Chileans used it to continue the war. A third commander lost his life on this apparently cursed ship, Manuel Thompson, killed by a Peruvian grenade during the bombardment of Arica. On the deck, to make us relive the battles, small brass plates indicate the main impacts of the enemy cannon fire during the different battles. Commemorative monuments indicate the places where the main heroes of the most important naval war in South America fell. The interior of this museum-ship is obviously dedicated to the battles, depicted in many paintings. During this battle, it was in fact two Chilean armoured ships, the Almirante Cochrane and the Almirante Blanco Encalada, that allowed the capture of Huáscar. Moreover, the Chileans benefited from the logistical support of England as well as the Bolivian oligarchy, many of whose members were shareholders in the Huanchaca mine. One can eat next to the base, in restaurants quite sought after for their marine specialties, although the setting is a bit sad, military and industrial.