Spanish schooner Virgen de Covadonga
The schooner Virgen de Covadonga, was a schooner built in Spain and launched in 1859. During the Spanish-South American War (1863-1866), it was captured by Chilean forces at the end of the Papudo naval action and incorporated into the Chilean Navy. After being assigned to exploration missions, she was later assigned to the Chilean squadron that participated in the Pacific War (1879-1883). In the Battle of Punta Gruesa defeated the Ironclad Independencia.
Covadonga at berth in Valparaiso, Chile
The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War, was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The conflict began with Spain's seizure of the guano-rich Chincha Islands in one of a series of attempts by Spain, under Isabella II, to reassert its influence over its former South American colonies. The war saw the use of ironclads, including the Spanish ship Numancia, the first ironclad to circumnavigate the world.
The guano-rich Chincha Islands of Peru in 1863
The Chincha Islands of Peru were occupied by Spanish marines on April 14, 1864.
A Peruvian battery during the Battle of Callao
Numancia, flagship of the Spanish fleet