The
protected cruiser
Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...
''Blanco Encalada'' was purchased by the Chilean Government for £333,500 during the
Argentine–Chilean naval arms race. She was the second ship named ''Blanco Encalada''. (The previous ship was the
armored frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
''
Blanco Encalada'' sunk in the
1891 Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The ...
).
In December 1906 she was involved in the repression of the workers movement in the Saltpeter mines, railroads and harbour in
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
.
[Luis Vitale, ''Intervenciones militares y poder fáctico en la política chilena, de 1830 al 2.000'', Santiago, 2000]
On 17 December 1907 she brought troops from Arica to Iquique to repress thousands of miners from different nitrate mines in Chile's north to appeal for government intervention to improve their living and working conditions. These troops committed the
Santa María School massacre
The Santa María School massacre was a massacre of striking workers, mostly saltpeter works (nitrate) miners, along with their wives and children, committed by the Chilean Army in Iquique, Chile, on December 21, 1907. The number of victims ...
.
See also
*
South American dreadnought race
A naval arms race among Argentina, Brazil, and Chile—the ABC countries, wealthiest and most powerful countries in South America—began in the early twentieth century when the Brazilian government ordered three dreadnoughts, formidable battl ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco Encalada (1893)
Cruisers of the Chilean Navy
1893 ships
Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth
Ships built on the River Tyne