The stamp depict a painting made by the marine painter Alvaro Casanova Zenteno (1857-1939) and shows the first Chilean Naval squadron at sea.
The painting I believe the stamp is designed after you can find: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28047774@N ... otostream/
Not any ships-name is given by the painting, but it shows us four Chilean warships and most probably the following ships are depict: SAN MARTIN, CHACABUCO, LAUTARO and ARAUCANO.
On the stamp I can see only 3 ships.
ATA Handbook 156 “Watercraft on Stamps” gives 5 ships the CHACABUCO of 1818, LAUTARO of 1800, SAN MARTIN of 1802 and the brigantines PUEYRREDON and ARAUCANA.
The only vessel not depict before on a stamp is the CHACABUCO below is her history and details, the other ships are given in the index except the PUEYRREDON, which I believe is not depict on the stamp.
She was built in Boston in 1812 under the name AVON after arrival in Coquimbo, Chile was she bought by merchants of Copiapó to be used as a privateer under the name COQUIMBO (sometimes also given as SANTA ROSA or SANTA ROSA DE COQUIMBO)
Tonnage 450 ton, dim. 131.3 x 26.3 x 8.2ft.
The merchants lost there interest in privateering and the COQUIMBO sailed to Valparaiso where she arrived on 23 May 1818.
20 June 1818 was she bought by the Chilean Government for $35,000 and renamed in CHACABUCO the first ship in the Chilean Navy under that name.
Armament 18 – 12 pdr. and 2 – 9 pdr. guns.
Crew 80.
Then incorporated in the First Naval Squadron of Chile under command of Commander Francisco Diaz.
10 October 1818 the squadron sailed from Valparaiso southbound to intercept a Spanish convoy of 11 transports escorted by the frigate MARIA ISABEL which had sailed from Cadiz on 21 May 1818.
She took not part in the capture of the MARIA ISABEL when the night before during a storm she got separated from the squadron.
18 November she made landfall on Isle Mocha where she captured the Spanish transports JEREZENA, CARLOTE and ROSALIA.
24 March 1819 she captured the Spanish schooner MOCTEZUMA during the second blockade of Callao.
When the Chilean fleet sailed to liberate Peru the CHACABUCO was under command of Juan José Tortel.
In January 1821 used in the second expedition to the Island Chiloé, arriving off Chiloé 16 January during strong winds. The crew discovered a bad leak and the officers decided to sail to Valdivia for repair.
But before Captain Tortel tried during that night with boats manned with 35 men to capture the Spanish frigate PRESIDENTE and two gunboats which were in the port of Ancud on the island.
Bad weather and the leaking which got worse (27 inches per hour) forced the CHACABUCO to return to Valparaiso without taken back on board the boats, who made it to Valdiva.
After repair she made voyages along the coast to Juan Fernandez and Talcahuano.
Late 1821she was under-manned and in bad shape.
July 1822 she was badly damaged during bad weather near Valparaiso and decommissioned afterwards.
09 December 1824 she brought the news of the victory of Ayacucho from Quilca to Valparaiso.
She was one of the four navy ship that sailed out in search for the Spanish ship ASIA.
Early February 1825 she sailed to Chiloé with orders that the Governor of Chiloé did surrender, the Governor rejected the orders.
Early 1826 she left from Corral as a unit with a fleet under command of Admiral Blanca, she bombarded San Carlos and gave protection to the landings which ended with the surrender of Governor Quintanilla and the annexation of the Archipelago Chiloé by Chile. Chiloé was the last Spanish enclave in South America.
01 April 1826 the CHACABUCO was sold to the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, she was not renamed.
She made it safely to Argentina, but was in a bad shape, she was on 30 October off Cape Corrientes where she met Admiral Brown which was on board SARANDI.
The crew on board the CHACABUCO had to man the pumps day and night she was badly leaking.
Both ships passed the border with Brazil and the two ships parted between Cabo Frio and Rio de Janeiro.
The CHACABUCO captured some Brazilian ships.
19 November 1826 she met the powerful Brazilian fleet, (at that time she showed the French flag) she managed to escape but in the struggle she was damaged.
January 1827 she arrived in Carmen de Patagones where she remained in reserve.
Most of her canons were transferred on shore and used against the Brazilian expedition that tried to capture Carmen de Patagones between 27 February and 7 March 1827.
Her last naval operations was when she with two other ships of the fleet sailed on 14 August 1827 to harass Brazilian trade, but she was forced to return soon because she was leaking badly and unseaworthy.
She arrived at Patagones on 27 October where her armament and sails were removed, and she was used as a pontoon for many years in Patagones.
She ended her days as firewood.
Chile 1993 $80 sg1541, scott1073.
http://www.todoababor.es/datos_docum/nav_prov_chile.htm