Background
After the Naval Battle of Iquique, the Peruvian ironclad Huascar made several incursions into Chilean waters, challenging the Chilean navy's domination along its entire coast; the Huascar attacked ports and captured transports.
Chile's plan was to achieve naval supremacy prior to invading Bolivian and/or Peruvian territory to establish the logistic advantage needed to launch a terrestrial campaign. No attempt to disembark troops could be made by the Chileans, because the Huascar was preventing the entire Chilean Navy from taking control of the sea; the Chilean fleet was in a diminished state of readiness after a long campaign away from its base. In order to initiate the naval stage of the compaign the Huascar had to be eliminated or captured.
The Chilean government accelerated their naval campaign to secure the logistic support for the planned land invasion of Peru. On September 20, the Chilean fleet sailed north, escorting an important convoy with troops bound for Antofagasta. Once at the port of Mejillones, Captain Galvarino Riveros reorganized the fleet into two divisions:
- 1st Division—Commodore Galvarino Riveros.
Ironclad Blanco Encalada : Commodore Galvarino Riveros
Schooner Virjen de Covadonga : Lt. Captain Manuel Orella
Transport Matias Cousiño : Lt. Captain Augusto Castleton.
- 2nd Division—Commander Juan Jose Latorre
Ironclad Almirante Cochrane : Commander Juan Jose Latorre
Corvette O’Higgins : Lt. Captain Jorge Montt Alvarez
Transport Loa : Lt. Captain Javier Molinas Gacitua.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Angamos
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