Toro Submarino The Toro Submarino ( Submarine Bull ) was a Peruvian submarine developed during the War of the Pacific . While it was completely operational , the submarine never saw action before the end of the war , when it was scuttled to prevent its capture by Chilean troops . Development . In 1864 , an overseas German civil engineer Federico Blume Othon ( 1831 – 1901 ) , developed the design of the first submarine for the Peruvian Navy . Blume who participated in the construction of railroads in Peru , presented his idea after the Spanish Pacific squadron occupied the Chincha Islands during the Chincha Islands War . His purpose was to create a device that could confront , with minimum risk , the powerful enemy fleet . The result was the " Toro Submarino " ( Submarine Bull ) . It was a revolutionary design for the ships of those days . She floated and could dive by opening the seacock and filling the ballast tanks . It could also renew the air being submerged using the principle of the snorkel . The war with Spain however came to an end in 1866 , and the submarine was not built , but during the war with Chile , Blume once again offered his services to the Peruvian Navy , presenting an improved version of his 1864 submarine . The engineer started to work on his machine in June 1879 , only two months after the declaration of war , financing the project with his own resources . The work was carried out in secrecy during four months at a factory property of the " Piura – Paita Northern Railroad " . The submarine , a cylindrical , iron boiler , bound together by iron strips and rivets , could be operated manually by eight men out of a total crew of eleven who , at the same time , could move the air fans and the water pump . The ventilation tubes were made of brass , and they could be raised or lowered through a special device . Ship instrumentation included internal pressure gauge s , depth meter and ballast tank water level . The submarine used an Otto - type gasoline engine for surface running , and electric motors for submerged operations . On October 14 , 1879 , Blume , together with his son and eight railroad workers , started testing the submarine off the coast of Paita . Testing lasted almost three weeks and proved that the submarine could reach a depth of 72 feet and a maximum speed of 4 knots . News about the amazing weapon reached Supreme Director Nicolás de Piérola , who became very enthusiastic about the idea of using it against the Chilean Navy , so preparations were made to show her capability to the authorities . War Action . The submarine was brought to Callao under the utmost secrecy , hidden in the transport " Limeña " . In July 1880 , the " " Toro " " made its first official submersion . Among the passengers was the Peruvian Minister of War . During those maneuvers , the submarine remained submerged for 30 minutes without suffering any damage , proving that it could be used as a reliable weapons platform ; the Minister was very impressed . His report to the government about the capabilities of the submarine was favorable , and a decision was made to use it against Chilean warships . The first task conferred upon the " Toro " was to advance at night towards either of the enemy armored frigates ( " Almirante Cochrane " or " Blanco Encalada " ) , which were anchored at the San Lorenzo Island a few kilometers off Callao , pulling two torpedoes . The submarine was to deploy under one of the battleships and release the torpedoes , which , activated by a time device , would explode and sink the objective . However , as " Toro " was preparing to attack and already under 36 feet of water , the Chileans , informed by their spies of a Peruvian " secret and powerful weapon " , moved their battleships to the south and the mission was aborted . On January 16 , 1881 , after the Battle of Miraflores and at the brink of the occupation of the Peruvian capital , Blume ' s submarine was scuttled with the other ships of the Peruvian fleet to avoid capture by the enemy . Some naval war analysts still believe that , had " Toro " been successful , it would have changed dramatically the course of the war in favor to Peru ; however , many modern historians have expressed skepticism that it would be possible .