After the naval battle of Angamos of 08 October 1879, not much was left of the Peruvian Navy only the old monitor CANONICUS, two wooden corvettes, and some small gunboats and torpedo boats. Not any of the Peruvian warships had any change against the more powerful Chilean navy ships.
Most Peruvian warships were used in the blockade running to bring equipment and provision to the Peruvian southern positions, which were blockaded by strong Chilean navy forces.
November 1879 the Peruvian corvette PILCOMAYO was captured by the Chilean battleship ALMIRANTE BLANCO ENCALADA.
In spite of this misfortunes and the clear material disadvantage, the Peruvian naval officials maintained a good spirit under the naval crews.
10 April 1880 a strong Chilean squadron arrived off Callao and initiated a blockade of the port, the Chilean squadron with the ALMIRANTE BLANCO ENCALADO as flagship, the armoured battleship HUASCAR, the corvette PILCOMAYO and O’HIGGENS and the transports LOA, ANGAMOS and MATIAS COUSINO and the torpedo boats GUACOLDA and JANAQUEO. After twelve days, first to permit the neutral ships to leave the port, sporadic bombardments on the port facilities took place.
To resist the actions of the Chilean ships the Peruvian navy undertook daily sorties on the road with their torpedo boats, in which a few confrontations took place.
In the night of 24 May 1880 the Peruvian torpedo boats INDEPENDENCIA, RESGUARDO and CALLAO under command of First Lieutenants José Gálvez, Julio Benitez and Pedro Bernales sailed out, the INDEPENDENCIA had orders to try to sink the ALMIRANTE BLANCO ENCALLADO with a powerful torpedo of 50 kilos, after the RESGUARDO and CALLAO fired their torpedoes she returned to port, while the INDEPENDENCIA stayed outside to try to torpedo the ALMIRANTE BLANCO ENCALLADO.
The INDEPENDENCIA a strong built wooden barge without decking, powered by a small steam engine, and a small funnel, was crewed by 16 men.
At 02.00 a.m. of the 25 May 1880 the INDEPENDENCIA was sighted by the enemy torpedo boats GUACOLDA and JANAQUEO, who immediately tried to intercept the INDEPENDENCIA.
The INDEPENDENCIA fired her first shot at the GUACOLDA which was under command of First Lieutenant Luis Alberto Goni Simpson, after firing four shots at the enemy the gun on the INDEPENDENCIA got stuck. The fast steaming JANQUCO under command of First Lieutenant Manuel Senoret approached full speed and trying to fire her gun, but maybe by shrapnel of the shots of the INDEPENDENCIA or a malfunction of the gun she was unable to fire. After some manoeuvres the JANAQUEO got in position to detonate a spar torpedo near the INDEPENDENCIA damaging her stern and killing eight men of her crew. The Chilean seeing the damage of the ship withdrew from the battle.
But nevertheless he was wounded Lieutenant Gálvez tried a new attack on the Chilean torpedo boat JANAQUEO which the crew of that vessel tried to stop. When the stern of the INDEPENDENCIA touched the bow of the JANAQUEO, in a suicidal action two Peruvian crew members, Manuel Ugarte and Moscoso threw a torpedo, and Gálvez activated the torpedo with a shot of his revolver.
A terrible explosion took place, then the boilers on board the JANAQUEO exploded killing two firemen which produced a large hole in her hull after which she sank. A few seconds later the INDEPENDENCIA also sank.
The two Peruvian crewmen died in the explosion, but Gálves blind after the explosion was rescued by the Chilean warship GUACOLDE together wit a other 7 men.
The rescued men were later handed back to the officials at Callao.
The stamp most probably made after a painting of the action, does not give a ships name, but comparing the stamp with a drawing of the Chilean torpedo boats most probably she is the JANEQUEO when she was exploding. The ship in the background can be the ALMIRANTE BLANCO ENCALLADO. Strange, the INDEPENDENCIA is not visible.
Also the action took place during night time, so most probably not much would be visible
The torpedo boat JANAQUEO was built by Yarrow at Poplar under yard No 452 on the Thames U.K. the class was originally constructed for Italian account but during the conflict with Peru and Bolivia bought by Chile.
Steel hulled.
Displacement 30 tons. Dim. 30.48 x 3.81 x 2.06m.
Powered by a 400 ihp steam engine, one shaft speed 18 knots. Bunker capacity 9 ton coal.
Armament 1 small gun. 1 Machine Gun Hotchkiss and 2 spar torpedoes.
Crew 15 men.
1879 Completed.
25 May 1880 sunk at the road of Callao.
To avoid that she later was salvaged by Peru the diver José Sobenes Valdebenito placed a dynamite loading of 100 kilo in the hull, and on 08 July 1880 the loading was detonated, destroying the hull completely.
Sources: http://www.laguerradelpacifico.cl/artic ... ederas.htm http://www.armada.cl/site/unidades_navales/176.htm
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