"Apurímac" continued in that role until the start of the War of the Pacific, when the frigate remained in Callao harbor as a hulk during the first part of the war. She escaped damage from the continuous attacks of the Chilean Navy during the blockade of Callao between 1880 and 1881, but during the night of January 16, 1881, after the defeat of the Peruvian Army in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores, the Secretary of the Navy, Captain Manuel Villar, ordered the destruction of port defenses and the remaining ships of the Peruvian Navy to prevent their capture by Chilean troops. This order was executed by the captains Luis Germán Astete and Manuel Villavisencio during the dawn of January 17, 1881, and the "Apurímac" was scuttled.