HUÁSCAR

The Huáscar can not be considered a monitor itself, but neither it is a pure battleship. It was designed to defend coastal waters, but from the beginning the ship demonstrated good seaworthiness, traveling from England to Peru crossing the Strait of Magellan without serious problems. The hull was of iron with a small castle to bow and a quartedeck to stern mounting the turret with the two 254mm guns amidships. The guns fired 136kg shells that proved not to be very effective against contemporary armours. The protection was composed by an armoured belt of 144mm thickness over the central area decreasing to 63mm thickness at the ends, and the gun turret had 140mm iron plates on a 356mm thick wooden cushion. She participated in combats with British ships in 1877 during the Battle of Pacocha within the Peruvian Civil War. Huáscar fought against the Chilean Navy within the Pacific War of 1879-83, where she was captured by the Chileans who enlisted her in its Navy until 1949. The ship was restored to its original appearance in the 1970s and is currently a floating museum at the port of Talcahuano, Chile.

HUÁSCAR gallery and more info