| It is both amazing and ironic that the mighty Royal | | | | became almost certain after the Huascar defeated a |
| Navy would be forced to combat a warship built in its | | | | Peruvian naval force consisting of the ironclad |
| own shipyard, yet this is what happened at the Battle | | | | Independence, which was twice her size. The decision |
| of Pacocha on May 29, 1877. Built for Peru in 1865, the | | | | was made after a British collier was captured. |
| ironclad Huascar was a model of the monitor type | | | | The two forces met in the Bay of Pacocha on may |
| vessel first conceived during the American Civil War. | | | | 29, with de Horsey sending a message to Astete |
| Her displacement was 1300 tons with a length of 67 | | | | declaring "...I have come to take possession of the |
| meters and possessed a very low freeboard. Her | | | | (Huascar) in Queen Victoria's name". The Peruvian |
| sides were protected by 4 ½ inches of armor | | | | replied that he would only lower his flag "when there is |
| belt backed by 14 inches of teak. The manually | | | | no longer a single man aboard to uphold it". The bizarre |
| operated gun turret was shielded by 5 ½ inch | | | | struggle between wood and armor began. The British |
| armor plating and mounted 2x10 inch Armstrong | | | | began the cannonade with their better gunnery at 1700 |
| cannon. Huascar furthered carried 2x40 pounder guns | | | | meters. Sitting low in the water, the Huascar presented |
| on each side and a 12 pounder on the stern. She could | | | | a difficult target, and the RN firepower made no dent |
| speed at 11 knots, carried 300 tons of coal, and a crew | | | | in the armored hull. De Horsey fruitlessly attempted to |
| of 200. | | | | improve his firing by closing the range, but the ironclad |
| In contrast, the British had no comparable vessel in | | | | outmaneuvered him in the shallow bay. |
| South American waters. The forces of the | | | | Finally acknowledging the Peruvian battleship's |
| Commander in Chief Pacific Station, Rear Admiral | | | | advantage over his gunnery, the Admiral decided to |
| Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey, included the | | | | attack with torpedoes. In so doing, the Shah performed |
| unarmored frigate HMS Shah and the wooden | | | | the first combat attack by the Whitehead torpedo. |
| corvette HMS Amethyst. Shah was a marvelous | | | | The marvel of the age could reach 550 yards at a |
| example of wooden steam ships, built in response to | | | | speed of 18 knots, which proved not enough to catch |
| fast American cruisers of the Wampanoag class. She | | | | the nimble Huascar. Again the pirate ironclad escaped |
| was huge at 6950 tons, swift at 16 knots, and heavily | | | | harm, to the consternation of the British. Emboldened |
| armed with 2x9 inch, 16x7 inch, and 8x64 pounder | | | | by the failure of his attackers, Astete increased his fire |
| rifled guns. Amethyst was much lighter at 1970 tons | | | | on the Shah and Amethyst. Choosing reality over pride, |
| and loaded 14x64 pounders. Shah carried an | | | | Admiral de Horsey ordered his squadron to withdraw. |
| advanced new precision weapon called the | | | | though not without a final attack by the corvette's spar |
| Whitehead torpedo, and the corvette possessed an | | | | torpedo. When this final attempt ended in failure, the |
| unguided spar torpedo. | | | | Royal Navy withdrew; a stunning blow to national pride. |
| Not surprisingly, Huascar was the pride of Peru's navy | | | | The 427 shots fired by the British resulted in only one |
| when she was seized by revolutionaries in 1877. | | | | death on Huascar, while the Royal Navy suffered only |
| Captain German Astete was a supporter of a rival | | | | a few injured sailors. Two days later, the "pirate |
| politician who sought to overthrow the duly elected | | | | ironclad" surrendered to Peruvian authorities, the |
| President. Astete and his crew proceeded to carry out | | | | revolution coming to naught. The mighty rebel warship |
| "acts of piracy" against the Peruvian government. | | | | was later captured by Chile during the War of the |
| Unfortunately, the pirate ironclad also made the | | | | Pacific, and exists to this day as a museum ship. De |
| mistake to briefly detain 2 British steamers, whose | | | | Horsey's action was criticized by Parliament, and ever |
| owners promptly complained to Queen Victoria's | | | | after the British South American Squadron would |
| representative in Lima. Royal Navy intervention | | | | consist only of ironclads. |