Warships in the War of the Pacific 1879–83: South America's ironclad naval campaign

Osprey New Vanguard #328

by Angus Konstam, Paul Wright (Illustrator)

Superbly illustrated with original artwork throughout, this book explores the ironclad warships that fought the little-known battles of South America's War of the Pacific. In the late 19th century, a war erupted between Chile and Peru, the catalyst for which was control of guano-rich Chincha islands. Given the geography of the two countries, with a narrow, arid land border and long exposed coastlines, it was inevitable that the War of the Pacific would predominantly be a naval war. It was a unique episode of military history, fought by two newly emergent South American states, using the latest technology – ironclad, steam-powered warships – and involving more naval battles than in the American Civil War, including a blockade, the capture of key warships, and bombardments of ports. Chile's navy was larger and more modern, while Peru's trump card was the small but powerful ironclad Huáscar. In this book, naval expert Angus Konstam offers readers an essential guide to this little-known naval war, illustrated with detailed profiles of the key ironclads, spectacular original artwork of the battles and a cutaway of Huáscar. He briefly covers the strategies of the warring powers as well as exploring all the key points of the naval campaign and the details of the warships involved, as a handful of ironclads fought for naval supremacy in South America.

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2024

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warships in the War of the Pacific 1879-83 sheds light on a little known conflict in Latin America that nevertheless was influential in the way the major world powers of the day developed and employed their respective naval forces for the remainder of the 19th century.

The War of the Pacific was waged among 3 nations, which began as a territorial clash between Chile and Bolivia. Chile went to war with Bolivia and Peru (which entered the war against Chile owing to its secret defensive alliance with Bolivia) over natural resources. While Bolivia lacked a navy, both Chile and Peru boasted of a number of modern warships of British design and manufacture. A series of naval battles were fought in 1879 and 1880 off the coasts of the 3 nations. Chile embarked upon a campaign of blockading key Peruvian port cities, through which Peru exported nitrates, a key element in the making of explosives that accounted for much of the nation's wealth.

The book provides valuable insights into the types of technology - ironclad and steam-powered warships - employed by the navies of Peru and Chile, along with the impacts the various naval engagements had in the shaping of modern South America. For example, Bolivia's loss of its Pacific coast to Chile made it a landlocked nation.

Furthermore, there are illustrations, detailed information pertaining to the training and tactics of the clashing navies, and photos of the Chilean and Peruvian warships. All in all, this helps to give the reader a grasp as to how the naval campaigns of the War of the Pacific impacted upon the conflict itself.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

While often dismissed as a minor war (except for in the participating countries), the War of the Pacific drew global attention to at least its naval aspects, as the world's naval leaders sought to understand the new world of ironclad warfare. Konstam provides a solid overview of the ships, leaders, tactics, and events of the war at sea.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the ships and naval actions of the War of the Pacific, with especial focus on the ironclads.

[Howierdg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and useful introduction to the subject with excellent colour plates, photographs and technical detail.

[Garrett Olinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good narrative of a small but interesting war.