ESMERALDA (1854)

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shipstamps
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ESMERALDA (1854)

Post by shipstamps » Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:15 pm

The construction of the corvette EMERALDA was authorized by the Chilean Government by Supreme Decree of 30 June 1852, and signed by the President of the Republic Manuel Montt and the minister of the navy José Francisco Gana, in which it was authorized to invest the sum of 200.000 pesos in building a modern wooden steam corvette.

At least in 1854 the Congress authorized the plans, and issued orders to sign a contract with a builder.

A commission was formed under Vice-Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada and Minister Plenipotenciario of the Government of France and Rear-Admiral Roberto Winthorp Simpson to study the proposal and contracts for the construction of the corvette.

December 1854 keel laid down, on the yard of Thomas Pitcher at Northfleet near Gravesend, England.
26 June 1855 named ESMERALDA, named after a former warship in the Chilean Navy and lost in the Battle of Callao on 4 and 5 November 1820.
18 September 1855 launched, the godfathers were Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada and Mrs. Tránsitó Yrarrázabal de Guzman.
Displacement 854 tons, dim. 200 x 32 x 18ft. (draught).
Powered by two steam engines, connected to one shaft, 200 ihp., speed 8 knots. Four boilers supplied steam to the engine.
A telescope funnel and an installation to hoist up the propeller when under sail.
Armament: 20 - 32pdrs. and 2 – 12pdrs.
Wooden hull, sheathed with copper.
Crew 200.
Building cost Ch$217.461.

Sailed from Falmouth under command of Rear-Admiral Roberto Winthorp Simpson, arrived 07 November1856 at Valparaiso.
During the war with Spain she had an armament of 20 -32pdrs. guns.
Under the command of Juan Williams Rebolledo she captured during the Battle of Papudo on 26 November 1865 the Spanish warship the schooner VIRJEN DE COVADONGA.

Between 1867 and 1868 her armament changed to 12 Armstrong 40 pdr. guns and 4 Withworth 40pdr. guns.
Also new boilers were fitted in and an evaporator.

Between 1870 and 1875 out of commission.

24 May 1876 due to the weather she beached in a creek near Valparaiso. She was refloated and her wooden hull repaired with Chilean oak.
1877 Sailed as a naval cadet instruction vessel to the Eastern Islands and Tahiti.

1878 She together with the gunboat COVADONGA were engaged in the blockade of Iquique when on 21 May 1878 during the Battle of Iquique she were attacked by the Peruvian ironclads HUASCAR AND INDEPENDENCIA, at that time the ESMERALDA was under command of Capt. Arturo Pratt Chacó.
The HUASCAR attacked the ESMERALDA and after a battle of four hours the ESMERALDA sank with the loss of 135 men of her crew under which her commander Pratt, and 62 wounded who were rescued by the HUASCAR.

(The Chilean web-site gives her name as ESMERALD without A, while the stamp of 1986 sg 1062 and most sources give her name as ESMERALDA.)

Chile 1948 40c sg 378, scott 251. 1986 35p sg 1062 and 1998 120p sg 1809.

Source: Wikipedia http://www.armada.cl/site/unidades_navales/136.htm
Attachments
SG378
SG378
SG1062
SG1062
Esmeralda and Huascar.jpg
tmp154.jpg

aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: ESMERALDA (1854)

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:53 pm

Peru 1984 600s sg1595 (she is the vessel on the right of the stamp on the left is the HUASCAR.)
Peru 1979 14s sg1440, scott? (ESMERALDA is on the left, the HUASCAR on the right of the stamp.)
Peru 2022 $7.60 sgMS?, Scott ? (HUASCAR on the left, ESMERALDA on fire on the right.)
Attachments
Image (8).jpg
Image (9).jpg
2022 Huascar (2).jpg
2022 Huascar (2).jpg (141.34 KiB) Viewed 79 times
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Thu Feb 16, 2023 3:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: ESMERALDA (1854)

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Nov 24, 2017 8:17 pm

This $6 stamp issued by Chile in 2017 shows us the Store Accountant 2e class Juan Goñi, hero of the Battle of Iquique (21 May 1879) who was a crewmember of the corvette ESMERALDA, shown as painted by Thomas Somerscales.
During this battle the ESMERALDA sank, she is seen in the background of the stamp.

Source: Chile Post web-site.
Chile 2017 $6 sg?, scott?
Attachments
2017 esmeralda.jpg

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