Battle of Caldera Bay

Overview

The Battle of Caldera Bay, or the Sinking of Blanco Encalada, was a naval engagement fought in the Caldera Bay during the 1891 Chilean Civil War between Balmacedist and Congressional naval forces on 23 April 1891. It involved two Balmacedist torpedo boats of the Almirante Lynch-class, and the Congressional armored frigate Blanco Encalada.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The engagement at Caldera Bay on 23 April 1891 marked a direct confrontation between Balmacedist torpedo boats and the Congressional armored frigate Blanco Encalada during the Chilean Civil War. The action resulted in 182 Congresista casualties. The battle is historically notable as an early instance of torpedo boat warfare in the Western Hemisphere, pitting two Almirante Lynch-class torpedo boats against a larger armored warship, and demonstrated the potential of small, fast torpedo craft against conventional naval power within the context of the 1891 civil conflict.

Forces & casualties