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| Picture No | 10216938 |
| Date | 1877 |
| Description | Battle of Pacocha'; between HMS Shah and Amethyst |
| Details |
The battle between HMS 'Shah' and 'Amethyst' and the Peruvian Ironclad turret ship 'Huascar' on the 29th May 1877. The 'Huascar' had been taken over by some Peruvian revolutionaries and declared a 'pirate' by the Peruvian government. The 'Shah' and 'Amethyst' were ordered to protect British Merchant Shipping and after the 'Huascar' had stopped several British merchant ships, the Royal Navy decided to hunt down the 'Huascar'. In the action depicted, the 70 guns of the British ships were unable to do much damage to the 'Huascar' as she was an heavily-built ironclad. In return the gunnery crew of the 'Huascar' was not well drilled enough to hit the British ships much. In desperation the 'Shah' launched a Whitehead torpedo at the 'Huascar', but the Peruvian ship was able to dodge it with some ease. The battle became a stalemate and the two sides slipped away after the fall of darkness. Reputedly this was the last action by a wooden warship, firing a broadside of muzzle-loading guns and the first use of a torpedo in anger.
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| Source | The Illustrated London News, 21 July 1877. page 60, by I.R.W.. |
| Credit | © Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans |
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