page_title: Battle of Vuelta de Obligado
section_title: Order of battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Vuelta de Obligado / Battle / Order of battle
caption_attribution_description: Español: Vuelta de Obligado (20 de nov. de 1845) Corte de las cadenas por parte del Firebrand Imágen de impresión británica de 1897 (Gentileza de "Colorado del Monte")
context_page_description: The naval Battle of Vuelta de Obligado took place on the waters of the Paraná River on 20 November 1845, between the Argentine Confederation, under the leadership of Juan Manuel de Rosas, and a combined Anglo-French fleet. The action was part of the larger Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata. Although the attacking forces broke through the Argentine naval defenses and overran the land defenses, the battle proved that foreign ships could not safely navigate Argentine internal waters against its government's wishes. The battle also changed political feeling in South America, increasing support for Rosas and his government.
context_section_description: The Anglo-French squadron that was sailing through the Paraná river in the first days of November was composed of  eleven warships.
  British
  Gorgon, paddle (6 guns, Capt. Charles Hotham)
  Firebrand, paddle (6 guns, Capt. James Hope)
  Philomel (8 guns, Commander Bartholomew James Sulivan)
  Comus (18 guns, Commander Edward Augustus Inglefield (acting))
  Dolphin (3 guns,  Lieut. Reginald Thomas John Levinge)
  Fanny, schooner (1 gun, Lieut. Astley Cooper Key)
  French
  San Martin (8 guns, Capt. François Thomas Tréhouart)
  Fulton, paddle (2 guns, Lieut. Louis Mazères (fr))
  Expéditive (16 guns, Lieut. Miniac)
  Pandour (10 guns, Lieut. Duparc)
  Procida (4 guns, Lieut. de la Rivière)
  These ships were among the most advanced military machinery of their time, and at least three — Fulton, HMS Firebrand and HMS Gorgon — were steamers, which initially stayed behind the sailing vessels.  They were partially armoured, and had rapid-fire guns and Congreve rockets.
  The main Argentine redoubt was located on a cliff rising between 30 and 180 m over the banks at Vuelta de Obligado, where the river is 700 metres wide and a turn makes navigation difficult.
  The Argentine general Lucio N. Mansilla set up three thick metal chains suspended from 24 boats completely across the river, to prevent the advance of the European fleet. This operation was under the charge of an Italian immigrant named Filipo Aliberti.  Only three of these boats were naval vessels; the rest were requisitioned barges whose owners received a compensation in case of loss. Aliberti was the master of one of the boats, the Jacoba, sunk in the battle. At least 20 boats and barges were lost in the chain barrage at Obligado.
  On the right shore of the river the Argentines mounted four batteries with 30 cannons, many of them bronze 8, 10, 12 and 20-pounders. These were served by a division of 160 gaucho soldiers. There were also 2,000 men in trenches under the command of Colonel Ramón Rodríguez (es), together with the brigantine Republicano (es) and two small gunboats, Restaurador and Lagos, with the mission of guarding the chains across the river. Some sources increase the Argentine naval power to a third gunboat, the unarmed brigantine Vigilante, whose artillery had been dismounted and transferred to one of the batteries, eight armed launches and at least five armed barges.
caption: British and French boats assaulting the chain line at Obligado
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