On the 29th of May 1877 two British corvettes, the _Shah_ and the
_Amethyst_, were engaged in the only encounter at sea in which Her
Majesty's ships have been engaged, (with the exception of fights with
slavers) for very many years, and this conflict was the more remarkable
inasmuch as their opponent was an ironclad. Peru is the land of
revolution and revolt against authority. Such a rising took place in
the last week of May. Pierola, the leader, had as his friends the
officers of the Peruvian ironclad the _Huascar_, and this vessel
pronouncing in his favour, put to sea with him on board. The Peruvian
Government at once sent news of the mutiny on board this ship to Admiral
de Horsey, and also notified that they would not be answerable for the
proceedings of those on board. The _Huascar_ put into Perajua, and took
coal from an English depot there; she then put to sea, stopped two
British steamers and took coal also from them. As this was an act of
piracy on the high sea, Admiral de Horsey determined to engage her
whenever he met her.
On the 28th of May the _Huascar_ appeared off the port of Iquique. Her
boats disembarked a portion of her crew, and after a fight with the
Peruvian troops, they captured the town. A few hours after that the
Peruvian squadron, consisting of the ironclad _Independencia_, the
corvette _Unica_ and the gunboat _Pilsomayo_, arrived, and it was
resolved to engage the _Huascar_. The fight lasted for an hour and a
half, and then darkness came on and the _Huascar_ steamed away.
The next morning she met the _Shah_ and the _Amethyst_. Admiral Horsey
sent an officer on board the _Huascar_ to demand her surrender. Pierola
refused, and upon the return of the officer to the _Shah_, the battle at
once commenced.
The _Huascar_ was built for the Peruvian Government by Messrs. Samuda,
and was a turret-ship mounting two 300-pounder guns in her turret. She
had also two 40-pound pivot-guns. The _Shah_ and _Amethyst_ were
unarmoured cruisers, but in point of number of guns they were superior
to the ironclad. The fight lasted for three hours. The _Huascar's_
smoke-stack was pierced, and damage done to her deck beams, but the
metal of the British guns were not heavy enough to pierce the armour.
In the course of the fight the _Shah_ launched a Whitehead torpedo
against the ironclad, but it failed to strike her. The British ships
were ably handled, and received no serious damage in the encounter; and
after a three hours' engagement the _Huascar_ steamed away and made for
a Peruvian port. As this was the first time that unarmoured vessels had
ventured to engage an ironclad of modern type, every credit is due to
the gallantry of our seamen, although they were unsuccessful in their
attempt to capture or sink their opponent.