Roberto Simpson Winthrop (14 December 1799 – 23 December 1877), was a sailor of English origin, nationalized Chilean, who made a career in the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

from 1818 and reached the rank of rear-admiral in 1852. Distinguished himself during the

Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...

and the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation () was a military confrontation waged by the United Restoration Army, the alliance of the land and naval forces of Chile and the Restoration Army of Peru, formed in 1836 by Peruvian soldiers opposed to the conf ...

. He was also founder of the Simpson family in Chile, initiator of the first hydrographic works in the country, senator and diplomat.

Biography

Early life

Robert Simpson was born in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, arriving in Spanish Chile as a midshipman on the sloop ''Rose'' under command of Lord Cochrane, who was involved in the formation of the

during the

Chilean War of Independence The Chilean War of Independence (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Guerra de la Independencia de Chile'', 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Empire, Spanish Mona ...

. By 1821, Simpson was already a second lieutenant in the Chilean Navy, and in the same year during the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

he participated in the capture of the Spanish ships ''Resolución'', ''San Fernando'' and ''Milagro'' in

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

, being promoted to captain on 7 October 1821. Admiral Cochrane gave Simpson command of the , ordered him to

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

to harass Spanish shipping, and from there move on to California to purchase supplies. While in port, a British officer convinced the foreign crew to take over the ship and leave for Australia, leaving Simpson behind. Back in Chile in 1824, Simpson was given the command of the ''Voltaire'', and together with the under the command of Captain Cobbet maintained the blockade of the

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago (, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and the Gulf of Corcovado in the s ...

for 4 months. In 1825, he participated in another blockade of Callao under Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada. Simpson participated actively in all the naval encounters of the war of independence in Chile and Peru between 1825 and 1826. When the Chilean fleet was dispersed in 1826, Simpson went into the reserve and took command of the Peruvian ship ''Congreso''. In 1827, he took command of a Mexican ship also named ''Congreso''. He finally returned to Chile in 1829 and named the Naval Governor of

Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...

. From 1830 to 1836, Simpson commanded the ''Aquiles'' and in December 1834 became the first Chilean hydrographer.

War of the Confederation

At the time of the

in 1836, Simpson was in command of the ''Valparaíso'', the flagship of Admiral Encalada. On 26 January 1837, he was named commander of the ''Aquiles'', and his first mission was to notify the government of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation of the Chilean government's repudiation of the Treaty of Paucarpata. Later, he cruised the Peruvian coast and was in charge of disturbing their commerce, and captured the ''Confederación'', taking its command. On 12 January 1839, while the Chilean squadron under his command was at Casma taking provisions, the ''Confederación'' was attacked by the Confederate fleet under the command of the French sailor Juan Blanchet. At the naval Battle of Casma, the Chileans had a resounding victory when during the battle Blanchet was killed and the Confederate ship ''Arequipeño'' was sunk, but not before the Chilean fleet had been badly battered. Nonetheless, the defeat of the Confederate fleet at Casma by the smaller Chilean squadron left Chile in absolute control of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Simpson was promoted to commodore on 8 May 1839.

Later life

After the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation at the

Battle of Yungay The Battle of Yungay (or Yungai) was the final battle of the War of the Confederation, fought on January 20, 1839, near Santo Domingo de Yungay, Yungay, Peru. The United Restoration Army, led by Chilean General Manuel Bulnes, consisting mainly ...

in 1839, Simpson returned to Chile along with the fleet. Between 1840 and 1852, he had a long and varied career in the Chilean Navy, rising as high as becoming General Commander of the Navy twice. In 1848, he was in command of the , a frigate used as Chile's training ship where he had Francisco Hudson as a subordinate. On 15 January 1852, Simpson adopted Chilean nationality and was elected

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

. That year he travelled to England to supervise the construction of the , becoming its first commander upon completion. In 1853, he became a rear admiral and continued his naval career until 1871, when he retired after 53 years in the Chilean Navy. Simpson died in

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

on 23 December 1877.

Personal life

Simpson married twice, first to Mercedes Baeza, a Chilean woman with whom he had two sons and two daughters. His son Enrique Simpson Baeza joined the Chilean Navy in 1851 and became an admiral. After his first wife's death, Simpson married Catalina Searle in 1843, with whom Simpson had another four children. One of his sons from this marriage, Juan Manuel, also joined the Navy and also became an admiral.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Roberto 1799 births 1877 deaths Chilean admirals Chilean hydrographers Chilean Navy personnel of the War of the Confederation Chilean Navy personnel of the Spanish American wars of independence Chilean people of English descent British emigrants to Chile Naturalized citizens of Chile Royal Navy officers Intendants of Valparaíso Province