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 . Sent by Peruvian president Mariano Ignacio Prado , who had rallied the South Americans in defense against Spanish aggression , the allies had sailed in convoy from the town of Ancud to the island of Abtao to wait for the arrival of two new corvettes acquired by Peru . The Spanish commander Casto Méndez Núñez , informed about the location of the Peruvian - Chilean fleet , ordered that the steam frigates " Villa de Madrid " ( Captain Claudio Alvar González ) and " Reina Blanca " ( Commander Juan Topete ) , lift the blockade on Valparaiso and sail towards Abtao to intercept the enemy fleet . On January 16 , 1866 , the combined Peruvian - Chilean fleet , composed of the Peruvian frigates " Apurímac " and " Amazonas " and the recently captured and refurbished Chilean schooner " Covadonga " , had convoyed from the port of Ancud towards the shipyards on the little island of Abtao , at the head of the southern Chiloé Archipelago . On Abtao island , the Chileans had also built some military fortifications , which were strategically located at the end of a shallow and treacherous channel . During the difficult trip , the 36 - gun steam frigate " Amazonas " , suffering from the force of currents , collided with a submerged rock near Punta Quilque and sank . The rest of the allied ships arrived without problems , and remained in Abtao with orders to wait for the arrival of the Peruvian corvettes " Unión " and " América " in order to start the offensive against the Spanish force . These ships arrived on February 4 , 1866 without being detected by the enemy ships . Meanwhile , the Spanish force was informed by the aborigines about the presence of other ships near Abtao , and immediately set course to the island . Battle . The frigates " Villa de Madrid " and " Reina Blanca " appeared off the inlet of Abtao on February 7 , 1866 , but did not enter , for fear of the shallow waters . Manuel Villar , Commander of the Peruvian First Naval Division and commander of the combined fleet , ordered the attack when the Spaniards began to proceed through the widest channel . The allied ships ( which included " Apurímac " , " América " , " Unión " , and " Covadonga " ) formed a line of battle to cover both inlets of the channel with their artillery . The Allied fleet opened fire at 15 : 30 hours from 1500 meters , followed by fire of the Spanish fleet , which showed great accuracy despite the two frigates being forced to shoot alternately due to the position of the Allied fleet . The " Apurímac " was hit three times at the water line , forcing her to move north . The " América " was hit six times . The " Unión " , where two crewman were killed , was hit three times , and the “ Covadonga ” , one . The Spanish ships received fourteen hits , mainly by the “ América ” and the “ Unión ” , which caused only little damage and left 6 crewmen wounded . After two hours of battle and more of 1500 shots from each side , the Spanish frigates , seeing that the Allied fleet was well protected in her position around the shoals , decided to leave the reef and waited to go out to sea . But this did not happen , and at 9 : 00 am of the following day , the Spanish squadron returned to their base . In his report to the Admiral Méndez Nuñez , the Spanish Captain Claudio Alvar González wrote : " The most effective and precise shots came from the Peruvian corvettes Unión and América . " Aftermath . After the results of the battle of Abtao , the Rear Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez traveled south with the " Numancia " , " Resolución " and " Reina Blanca " to try to force a new confrontation with the allies . But his efforts were unsuccessful . The Allied fleet had moved to Huito , a position much more difficult to access than Abtao . On March 25 , the Peruvian corvettes " Unión " and " América " were sent to the Strait of Magellan to intercept the Spanish frigate " Almansa " , that according to intelligence reports , had been dispatched from Spain to reinforce the Pacific fleet . The Peruvian ships remained in the area for over a month , but were not able to locate it . The " Almansa " didn ' t arrive to the Pacific coast until the end of April . The Chilean government also sent steamer Maipú to the strait to intercept the Spanish steamers Odessa and Vascongada . The rest of the Allied fleet remained on the defensive in southern Chile , awaiting the arrival of the ironclads " Huáscar " and " Independencia " , destined to become the factor that would change the force equilibrium . Both ships had departed from Brest the 26 February , in what was a long and difficult journey . They were accompanied by the British Steamer " Thames " , which transported coal and other provisions . On 30 March 1866 , in front of Brazilian waters , the Peruvian ironclads caused new problems for the Spaniards by intercepting the bergantines " Dorotea " and " Paco " . The " Dorotea " was destroyed , while the " Paco " was able to avoid capture by moving quickly . On 22 August 1866 the Spanish frigate " Gerona " captured the Chilean schooner " Pampero " when it set sail from the jetty of Funchal to Chile . Notable sailors in the battle . Sub - lieutenant Patricio Montojo y Pasarón , later to become an Admiral and commander - in - chief of the Spanish Navy in the Philippines during the Spanish - American War , participated in this battle from the frigate " Almansa " . Lieutenants Arturo Prat ( Chilean ) and Miguel Grau ( Peruvian ) , who were later to battle each other at the Naval Battle of Iquique , were comrades in this battle .