Chilean corvette O'Higgins (1866)

In 1864 the Chilean government ordered the construction of two corvettes in Ravenhill, the O'Higgins and the Chacabuco. Both corvettes were seized by the British authorities in order to enforce a neutrality provision in the impending state of war between Chile and Spain (Chincha Islands War, 1864-1866). In 1866 the countries reached an agreement in which Chile received the corvettes and Spain the ships Arapiles and Victoria.

For other ships with the same name, see Chilean ship O'Higgins.
Corvette O'Higgins
History
Name: O'Higgins
Namesake: Bernardo O'Higgins
Builder: Ravenhill, London, United Kingdom
Cost: $ 285.000 ($1 = 48pennies)
Launched: 1866
Commissioned: 1868
Decommissioned: 1895
Fate: Pontoon until 1905
General characteristics
Class and type: Corvette
Displacement: 1101
Length: 216 ft 6 in (66.0 m)
Beam: 33 ft 4 in (10.2 m)
Draught: 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m)
Installed power: 1.200 HP
Propulsion: Maudsley return connecting rod engine[1]
Speed: 9 kn
Complement: 200
Armament: 3 Armstrong guns 7 in, 2 guns 70 lb, 4 guns 40 lb

In 1869, under the command of Manuel Blanco Encalada, the remains of Bernardo O'Higgins, first buried in Peru, were repatriated to Chile on board of the frigate that bore his name.

In 1870, the O'Higgins went to Easter Island and performed the first topographic survey and scientific description of the island[2] and acquired Rongorongo text I, the Santiago Staff.

The ship had an active role in the Naval Campaign of the War of the Pacific under the command of Jorge Montt and participated in the Capture of the Huáscar off Punta de Angamos.

During the 1891 Chilean Civil War the O'Higgins sided with the congress.

See also

References
  1. Lambert (1 October 1989). Warship. Naval Institute Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-85177-449-7. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  2. David Hatcher Childress (1988). Lost Cities of Lemuria & Pacific. Adventures Unlimited Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-932813-04-6. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
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