Juan José Latorre
Encyclopedia
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
, and hero of the Battle of Angamos
Battle of Angamos
The Battle of Angamos was fought on October 8, 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacific . The Chilean Navy, commanded by Captain Galvarino Riveros and Captain Juan Jose Latorre surrounded and captured the ironclad Huáscar, commanded by Rear Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario, who died in...
.
Early life
Son of Elías Latorre and of Nicomedia Benavente, the oldest of eight brothers. After the early death of his father, three of his younger brothers were taken by the paternal family in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where they were raised. Later on, one of the brothers participated also in the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
, but on the Peruvian side.
At the age of nine, in 1855, he won a scholarship to the Naval Academy. Appointed midshipman on July 15, 1861. He served on the Esmeralda during the Chincha Islands War
Chincha Islands War
The Chincha Islands War was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru and Chile from 1864 to 1866, that began with Spain's seizure of the guano-rich Chincha Islands, part of a series of attempts by Isabel II of Spain to reassert her country's lost...
and participated in the Battle of Papudo
Battle of Papudo
The Naval Battle of Papudo was a naval engagement fought between Spanish and Chilean forces on November 26, 1865, during the Chincha Islands War...
, where the Spanish schooner Covadonga was captured, and in the Battle of Abtao
Battle of Abtao
The Naval Battle of Abtao took place on February 7, 1866, between a Spanish naval squadron and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet, at the island of Abtao in the Gulf of Ancud near Chiloé Archipelago in south-central Chile.-Background:...
.
On February 12, 1873 was promoted to first lieutenant, and given command of the Toltén first, and the Magallanes later. It was in this later ship that he was going to make his name as one of the ablest naval commanders of the coming war. During his patrols of the extreme southern region of Chile, he was involved in a diplomatic incident with Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Britain, when he captured several foreign ships that were operating in the Chilean area with an Argentinian licence, chief among them the Jeanne Amelie and the Devonshire. He was also faced with the mutiny of the city of Punta Arenas, where he was able to rescue his old friend, governor Diego Dublé Almeida.
Naval Battle de Chipana
While in command of the Magallanes, he was the first to come face to face with the Peruvian navy at the Naval Battle de ChipanaBattle of Chipana
The Battle of Chipana took place on April 12, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. It was the first naval engagement between both navies and it took place in front of Huanillos, off the Bolivian coast, as the Peruvian corvette Unión and gunboat Pilcomayo found the Chilean...
. On April 12, 1879, he crossed paths with the Peruvian ships Unión and Pilcomayo, who tried to capture it. Outgunned, Latorre decided to escape. During the ensuing persecution, he noticed that the speed of the two Peruvian ships was greatly different, and that the Pilcomayo was falling considerably behind.
Once the Peruvian Union was alone, he turned his ship around, and opened fire. The battle thus ensued. The Peruvian aim was disastrous, due to their lack of training, but the Chilean aim was only marginally better. At one point, the Unión started spewing white smoke from one of its sides. This led the Peruvian captain to think his ship had been seriously hit, and gave up the persecution, allowing the weaker Magallanes to escape unharmed. In fact the whole incident was caused by the overheating of one of the boilers.
Second Naval Battle of Iquique
After the disastrous reduction of the Peruvian navy at the First Naval Battle of IquiqueBattle of Iquique
The Battle of Iquique was a confrontation that occurred on May 21, 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacific, a conflict between Chile and Peru and Bolivia. The battle took place off the, by then, Peruvian port of Iquique...
, presidente Prado
Mariano Ignacio Prado
Mariano Ignacio Prado Ochoa was twice the President of Peru, from 1865 to 1868 and 1876 to 1879).-Biography:Born in Huánuco in 1826, he entered the army at an early age and served in the provinces of Southern Peru....
of Peru ordered Admiral Grau
Miguel Grau Seminario
Miguel María Grau Seminario was a renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the Naval Battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific . He was known as the el Caballero de los Mares for his chivalry and is esteemed by both Peruvians and Chileans...
to harass the Chilean shipping lines and to try to disrupt their commerce. The Admiral, on the Huáscar
Huáscar (ship)
Huáscar is a 19th century small armoured turret ship of a type similar to a monitor. She was built in Britain for Peru and played a significant role in the battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific against Chile before being captured and commissioned with the Chilean Navy. Today she is one of...
, decided to go on a night raid to the port of Iquique
Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Atacama Desert and the Pampa del Tamarugal. It had a population of 216,419 as of the 2002 census...
, to try and destroy the Abtao. He arrived on the night of July 9, and not finding his prey decided to go after the transport ship Matías Cousiño.
Latorre, who was commanding the Magallanes decided to fend off the attack, in spite of the difference in strength of both ships (260 tons versus 1130). Admiral Grau tried to sink the smaller ship thrice, using his ram, but in spite of his ability the Magallanes was able to keep him at bay long enough for the ironclad Cochrane to show up, after which the Huascar decided to retreat back to Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
.
Naval Battle of Angamos
On September 6, 1879 he is promoted to commander of the ironclad CochraneChilean battery ship Almirante Cochrane
The armored frigate Almirante Cochrane was a ship of the Chilean Navy in the late nineteenth century. She was built, like her twin, the armored frigate Blanco Encalada, in the UK in 1875. She participated in the War of the Pacific, with her most prominent action being her defeat of the Peruvian...
, the strongest unit of the Chilean fleet. His fame was such that he moved in with all his crew. His first mission was to eliminate the threat of the Huascar, who was impeding alone any invasion of the Peruvian coastline.
On the night of October 7 he was informed that the Huascar had been seen near the port of Huasco and was moving north. A trap was then set. The Chilean fleet was divided into 2 groups. The first division was in charge of Commander Galvarino Riveros and made up of the Blanco Encalada, Covadonga and the Matías Cousiño (the last one loaded with coal), who would try to follow Admiral Grau pushing him towards the second division that would be waiting further north. In the early hours of October 8, the plan went into effect. When the Huascar and the Union saw the Chilean ships blocking their way south they decided to turn back north. A few hours later, they met the Cochrane who was waiting according to plan. Admiral Grau was forced to present battle, while the Union got away.
The Cochrane continued advancing over the Huascar without answering its fire until it was very close to the enemy, in order not to lose speed. When it finally attacked, the onslaught was ferocious. The second shot destroyed the command tower of the Huascar, killing Admiral Grau
Miguel Grau Seminario
Miguel María Grau Seminario was a renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the Naval Battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific . He was known as the el Caballero de los Mares for his chivalry and is esteemed by both Peruvians and Chileans...
and leaving the monitor without a rudder. The fight continued for another hour, but the arrival of the Blanco Encalada with the rest of the Chilean fleet made any resistance totally useless. The Huascar was captured and became a part of the Chilean fleet.
Later years
After returning to Chile, in 1882 he married Julia Moreno Zuleta, whom he met on one of the many parties given in his honor after the war. They had three children. On June 5, 1884 he is promoted to Rear-Admiral. In 1886 he was appointed Commander General of the Navy. Presidente José Manuel BalmacedaJosé Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
sent him on an official mission to Europe to supervise the construction of new ships for the Chilean navy. While in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
broke out. He chose to remain loyal to president Balmaceda and was dismissed after the Congressional triumph. He remained in exile in Europe until 1894.
After his return, he was twice elected senator for the Balmacedista party (1894-1900, 1900-1906), and was reinstated in the navy. He was appointed member of the Council of State by president Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Federico Errázuriz Echaurren was a Chilean political figure. Born in Santiago, he served as President of Chile between 1896 and his death in 1901. Federico Errázuriz was of Basque descent.-Early life:...
in 1897 and minister of foreign affairs in 1898. A few years before his death he was promoted to Vice Admiral and was made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.
See also
- See Chilean ship Almirante LatorreChilean ship Almirante LatorreSeveral ships of the Chilean Navy have been named Almirante Latorre after Juan José Latorre:, a dreadnought battleship laid down in Britain in 1911, acquired still unfinished for the Royal Navy in 1914 and completed and put into service as HMS Canada, she was refitted and sold to Chile in 1920,...
for the ships named in honor of Juan José Latorre.