- USS Oneota (1864)
USS Oneota
USS "Oneota", a harbor and river monitor built at
Cincinnati, Ohio , by Alex Swift & Co., and by the Niles Works, was launched21 May 1864 .Completed shortly after the end of the
American Civil War , on10 June 1865 , "Oneota" was laid up until sold to her builder, Alex Swift and Co.,13 April 1868 , and illegally resold toPeru . The selling of the "Oneota" and her sister the "Catawba" violated a treaty theUnited States had signed withSpain . Though the sale was allowed to proceed Alex Swift and Co. had to pay fines the equalled nearly ⅓ of the total sale amount.BAP Manco Cápac
The monitor served the
Peruvian Navy as "Manco Cápac", named after Manco Cápac,the first king of the Kingdom of Cuzco which would grow into theInca Empire .In 1879, disagreements over nitrate-rich lands led
Chile to go to war withBolivia and Peru. The Chileans opened with a blockade ofIquique on5 April by the ironclads "Almirante Cochrane" and "Blanco Encalada" along with unarmored warships. On21 May , the Chileans prepared to attack the Peruvian fleet atCallao , but there they found only the monitors "Atahualpa" and "Manco Cápac"; the seagoing ironclads were missing. They turned up at Iquique the same day, scattering the Chilean wooden vessels left on guard there despite poor Peruvian gunnery. During the three day battle at Iquique, the "Manco Cápac" left Callao forArica on3 August , arriving four days later.On
8 October 1879, the Chilean fleet caught the Peruvian ironclad "Huáscar" resulting Battle of Angamos Peninsula. The "Huáscar" was finally captured after being riddled by Chilean gunnery. Repaired and under Chilean command, on27 February 1880 the "Huáscar" attacked the Peruvians at Arica, fighting an inconclusive duel with the "Manco Cápac". The Chilean fleet continued to bombard Arica until the army closed in on the city from the rear; the city fell in June 7th after a quick and short battle and the "Manco Cápac" was scuttled to prevent capture.Alden, John D., CDR USN "Monitors 'Round Cape Horn" "United States Naval Institute Proceedings" September 1974 pp.78-82]The sunken hulk still exists and is mostly intact, was exactly located in 2007, lying 2 1/2 miles off shore and 100 feet deep according reports of University of Tarapaca in Arica, Chile. Besides there's a documentary of the same University about it.
Notes
References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/oneota.htm navsource.org: USS "Oneota"]
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