VIRJIN DE COVADONGA

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shipstamps
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Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:12 pm

VIRJIN DE COVADONGA

Post by shipstamps » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:02 pm

The centre stamp of the sheet depicts a ship, with the inscription on it of Hundimiento de la Covadonga.
She is the wooden ship VIRGEN DE COVADONGA and did belong to the navy of Chile.
10 June 1857 ordered.
13 February 1858 keel laid down on the Arsenal de la Carrara, Cadiz. For the Spanish Navy.
28 November 1859 launched under the name VIRJIN DE COVADONGA, named after the Battle of Covadonga which took place in the summer of 755.
Displacement 630 tons. Dim. length 48.5 meters.
Powered by one steam engine 160 hp., one shaft, speed 7 knots.
Brigantine rigged.
Armament: 2 – 70 pdrs., 2 – 40 pdrs., 2 – 9pdrs.
Crew 110.
08 October 1858 commissioned under command of Lieutenant Evaristo Casariego y Garcia.

She was intended to be used as a mailboat between Manila and Hong Kong based at the naval base at Manila, but of she ever was used as so is doubtful.
During the war against Spain in the Battle of Papudo was she captured by the Chilean corvette ESMERALDA on 26 November 1865. The ESMERALDA was at that time under command of Captain Juan Williams Rebolledo.
When the Spanish Admiral Juan Manuel Pareja received the news of the capture of the VIRJIN DE COVADONGA he took his one life.

04 December 1865 commissioned in the Chilean Navy keeping its original name.
Took part in the Battle of Abtao.

During the War of the Pacific the COVADONGA and ESMERALDA, as the oldest and slowest ships of the Chilean navy, were left behind to blockade the nitrate port of Iquique., While the other ships of the squadron headed north for Callao under command of Rear Admiral Juan Williams Rebolledo, to take on the Peruvian fleet in its home port, Williams was misled by false intelligence, and Peru ironclads were steaming south, both fleets passed each other on 19 May 1879 at a distance of around 30 miles, without seeing each other.

21 May 1879 the ESMERALDA and COVADONGA sighted the Peruvian ironclads.
The ESMERALDA faced the Peruvian HUASCAR, wherein the ESMERALDA sunk, while the COVADONGA distracted the INDEPENDENCIA towards the shallow waters, resulting in the loss of INDEPENDENCIA on uncharted reefs.

13 September 1880 while enforcing a blockade in the port of Chancay, Peru, the sailors of the COVADONGA saw a beautiful boat being carried unmanned by the currents and loaded with fresh fruits and produce. While trying to lift it on board, it exploded, being a floating mine. The COVADONGA sunk in less than 10 minutes.

In the disaster, out of the 109 men on board, the commander Captain Pable Ferrari and 32 men were killed, while 29 were rescued by the Chilean gun-boat PILCOMAYO, and 48 were captured by the Peruvians.

Source: Mostly copied from http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Covadonga_(ship) Warships Volume X

Chile SG1134
Attachments
Hundimiento de la Covadonga.jpg
SG1134
SG1134
Battle of Iquique.jpg

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: VIRJIN DE COVADONGA

Post by aukepalmhof » Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:15 pm

Chile 1987 50p sg1134 she is the vessel on the left, the right vessel is the INDEPENDENCIA http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 434#p10434
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Image (12).jpg

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