The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-03
The Nnvnl RnttIe on Iauique.

A sea fight between four vessels, in which
two, or according to some accounts three,
OF tho oomuatants are sunk, deserves place
Of its own among naval annals. All the
more interesting docs the double duel in the
harbcr OF IQuiquc become, as one of wooden
ships against iron ships.
While details OF the manpuvring and Of
the different stages Of the fight are az yet
wanting, the character Of the vessels and of
the armament OF each Is known, and this,
taken together with the result of the eom-
bat, must teach Il sufficiently clear lesson,
Tho Peruvian Independence was an iron
clad irigato Of 2000 tons displacement with
dl-inch plates carrying twelve 70-pUundor
four-ton guns, two ljl-puundor sovcn-tun
guns, and one 9O0.poundcr, the three latter
being mounted rs pivot guns on the upper
deck. The Huascar, which also took part
In the conflict, and came out comparatively
unscathed, Is turret-ship OF LOO tons dis
placement, built as ram, clad with 4h-inch
armor from stem To stern, with two 800
Founders IN the turrct, and two A0-pounder
deck guns. The Gillian screw corvette
Esmcralda, OF 800 tons, was built for Chilli In
England OF teak about fifteen years ago and
originally armed with twenty 32-pounders;
but her battery was changed last wiuter to
twelve 6s-poundcrs. Tho gunboat Cova-
donga, of 500 tons, was captured in action
from the Spanish, near Valparaiso, by the
Esmcralda, IN the war Of 1865. She carried
two heavy guns. but of exactly what calibro
Is not yet clear, since different accounts
during the past two months have repre-
scented them to be 7O-pounders, l5O-pounders,
and even 25O-poun1ers.
Accepting the theory, as the more proba-
bic, that the Covadongas guns We're not
heavier than l5o-poundcrs, at the utmost,
we find the remarkable result recorded that
two wooden ships. with guns smaller than
those carried now in lighting vessels OF i'm
pCrtnucc, were able 10 sink Thames-built
ironelad, having double hull water-tight
compartments, and A. inches Of plating
around her machinery. 1t is not surprising
that they themselvCs--or, at least, one Of
them, for q Gillian report claims the escape
of the Covadonga-shoud be sunk by the TO-
FOUNDER, 800 FOUNDER, and 9OO-pounder rlned
ARMSTRONG guns Of tho Independence, as
even the smaller could easily riddle them
both at a moderate range. But the Inde-
pendcncia was much the costller vessel, and
that would be ruinous ii many times re-
peatcd.
But when we look al tho build OF the indie
pendencia we find that she presented a fatal
target 10 her Chlian foes. Her gun deck
was eight feet above the water line; and
over this was the spar deck, on which her
pivot guns were mounted-the total height
Of exposed surface in her sides being 25
feet. This remarkable action thus seems to
have exemplifed in practice what was per-
fcctly well known as matter Of theory,
that high-sided ships, covered with only AZ
inches Of iron, and perhaps imperfectly
covered at that, can easily be sunk by
wooden ships that carry even the smaller
calbres OF good modern rillcd guns. The
lesson is reinforced by the fact that the
turret ram Huascar, il hit at all, was not
hurt. Even wooden war ships need not be
given up as useless, If they are fast, quick
In manPuvre. and, above all, supplied with
artillery sufficiently powerful.