The capture of the Paquete de Maule during the Chincha Islands War deprived Chile of sailors bound for Peruvian ironclads and added a vessel to the Spanish fleet.
Key Facts
- Date of capture
- 6 March 1866
- Vessel tonnage
- 400 tons tons
- Crew and personnel aboard
- 7 crew, 1 officer, 126 sailors
- Built
- 1861, Williamsburg, New York
- Final fate
- Burned and scuttled near San Lorenzo island, 10 May 1866
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Chincha Islands War, the Chilean unarmed sidewheel steamer Paquete de Maule was transporting over 120 sailors from Lota toward Montevideo to crew the Peruvian ironclads Huáscar and Independencia, sailing under British colors in an attempt to avoid interception by Spanish naval forces.
On 6 March 1866, the Spanish steam frigate Blanca, commanded by Juan Bautista Topete, intercepted and captured the Paquete de Maule in the Gulf of Arauco. The crew's claims of British citizenship failed to convince Spanish officers, who arrested them. A companion Chilean vessel, the Independencia pailebot, escaped into shallow waters undetected.
The Paquete de Maule was incorporated into the Spanish fleet as an auxiliary vessel armed with two cannons and participated in the Battle of Callao. Unable to take the ship during their retreat toward the Philippines, Spanish forces burned and scuttled her near San Lorenzo island on 10 May 1866. Exchange negotiations for the captured crew came to nothing after Méndez Núñez refused the offer.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Juan Bautista Topete.
Side B
1 belligerent