Covadonga (ship)
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| Career Spain |  |
|---|---|
| Built at: | Cádiz, Spain |
| Ordered: | June 10, 1857 |
| Launched: | November 28, 1859 |
| Commissioned: | 8 October 1858 |
| Fate: | Captured by Chile at Battle of Papudo during the Chincha Islands War, November 26, 1865. |
| Career Chile |  |
| Captured: | November 26, 1865 |
| Commissioned: | December 4, 1865 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a mine in Chancay, Peru during the War of the Pacific, September 13, 1880 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 630 tons |
| Length: | 107 ft (48.5 m) |
| Beam: | |
| Draft: | |
| Propulsion: | 1 x steam engine, 160 hp (120 kW) single screw Brigantine sail rigging |
| Fuel: | Coal |
| Speed: | 7 knots (13 km/h) |
| Complement: | |
| Armament: (original) |
2 x revolving 200-mm guns at the sides 1 x revolving 160-mm gun at the prow |
| Armour: | None |
Schooner Virgen de Covadonga (1859). A historical ship that participated in the Chincha Islands War and the War of the Pacific, under Spanish and Chilean flags.
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[edit] Construction
It was ordered by Royal Order of June 10, 1857. Its keel was laid at the Arsenal de la Carrara in Cádiz, Spain, on February 13, 1858. She was launched on November 28, 1859.
The Covadonga was a wooden ship fitted with a steam propulsion, commissioned by Royal Command of October 8, 1858 at a total cost of 5 million Reales de Vellón. Its first commander was Lieutenant Evaristo Casariego y García. It was originally destined as a mail boat between Manila and Hong Kong, with its berth at the Naval Base of Manila, in the Philippine Islands.
[edit] Chincha Islands War service
During the Chincha Islands War, the Covadonga served as an auxiliary ship to the Spanish fleet. It was captured by the Chilean corvette Esmeralda under the command of captain Juan Williams Rebolledo, during the Naval Battle of Papudo, on November 26, 1865. Its capture caused the suicide of Spanish Admiral Juan Manuel Pareja.
The Covadonga was commissioned into the Chilean navy on December 4, 1865, keeping its original name. During this war, it also participated at the Naval Battle of Abtao.
[edit] War of the Pacific service
During the War of the Pacific, the Covadonga together with the Esmeralda, as the oldest and slowest ships of the Chilean navy, were left behind to blockade the port of Iquique. There they participated in the most important naval battles of the war.
The Esmeralda faced the Huascar at the Naval Battle of Iquique, while the Covadonga defeated the inmensely superior Independencia at the Naval Battle of Punta Gruesa, both on May 21, 1879.
[edit] Fate
On September 13, 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, it exploded, being a floating mine. The ship sunk in less than 10 minutes.
In the disaster, out of the 109 men of the crew, the commander Captain Pablo Ferrari and 32 sailors died, while 29 were rescued by the gun-boat Pilcomayo, and 48 were captured by the Peruvians. Among the dead was petty officer Constantino Micalvi, a survivor from the Naval Battle of Iquique.
