Juan Guillermo Moore Ruiz (27 February 1833 – 7 June 1880) was a British Peruvian navy officer. He was killed during the Battle of Arica.

Biography

Moore (sometimes spelled ''More'' in some texts) was born in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, the son of John Moore, a Scottish sailor and of Dolores Ruiz, a Peruvian lady. He joined the British Navy as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1854. Later he returned to Peru and was commissioned in the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy (, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include ...

. He served in the frigates '' Apurímac'', ''Izcuchaca'' and ''Huaraz'', as well as the ''Guise'' and the pontoon ''Iquique''. In 1866, during the Chincha Islands War, he was appointed commander of the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

'' Unión''. A few months later,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Moore took a

crew to the United States to bring the

ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...

Atahualpa Atahualpa (), also Atawallpa or Ataw Wallpa ( Quechua) ( 150226 July 1533), was the last effective Inca emperor, reigning from April 1532 until his capture and execution in July of the following year, as part of the Spanish conquest of the In ...

to Peru. The monitor sailed from New Orleans, La. in early January 1869 arriving in Peru in June 1870. As a reward, he was appointed as commander of the frigate '' Independencia'' and in 1877, General Commander of the Southern Fleet. As such he directed the actions to recapture the

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

'' Huáscar'' which had been captured by Nicolás de Piérola and had rebelled against the central government. During the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

between

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, he was appointed commander of the strongest unit of the Peruvian Navy, the armoured frigate ''Independencia''. As such, he participated in the Battle of Punta Gruesa on 21 May 1879, when his ship crashed with a submarine rock while pursuing the

an schooner '' Covadonga,'' commanded by Captain

Carlos Condell Carlos Arnaldo Condell de la Haza (August 14, 1843, in Valparaíso – November 24, 1887, in Quilpué) was a Chilean naval officer and hero of the Battle of Punta Gruesa during the start of the War of the Pacific. Possessing a great sens ...

. He was rescued from his sinking ship, imprisoned in

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...

and court martialled by his own comrades. He was dismissed from the navy and forbidden to ever wear his uniform again. He decided to continue the war as a simple civilian, in order to regain his lost honor. On 27 February 1880, during the Naval Battle of Arica, while in command of the Manco Capac, he successfully disabled the captured Huascar killing her commander Captain Manuel Thomson. During the siege of Arica, he was in charge of the batteries of the Cape, where he was killed during the Battle of Arica.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:More, Juan Guillermo 1833 births 1880 deaths National heroes of Peru Military personnel from Lima Peruvian Navy officers Royal Navy officers People of the Chincha Islands War Peruvian Navy personnel of the War of the Pacific Peruvian people of Scottish descent Military personnel killed in the War of the Pacific