1856-1858
The Amazonas was one of the most important ships that the Peruvian Navy had during the mid XIX century. The Government ordered her construction in the early 1850´s, at the “Money Wigram & Sons” shipyards of Blackwood, England, under supervision of Captain Valle Riestra. She was a frigate propelled by a steam engine. Her weight was 1,320 tons and was armed with twenty-six 32-inch guns, six 64-pounders and one 120-pounder at the stern. The frigate was concluded in 1852, a year in which other three warships were also being build for Peru at British shipyards: The frigate Apurimac and the steam gunboats Loa and Tumbes.
The Amazonas arrived at Callao in early 1853 bringing fifteen young Peruvian naval officers that were trained as cadets at the French Naval Academy. She caused admiration for her modern and majestic design. Three years later, on October 25, 1856, the frigate was sent again to London for some modifications and improvements. The ship was placed under orders of Captain Jose Boterin, who as a young lieutenant distinguished himself during the war against the Great Colombia, when he took command of the fleet after the death of Admiral Jorge Martin Guise.
The frigate followed the route of the Pacific Ocean because during those days there was no Panama Canal and to cross the Straight of Magellan was a very risky task, and arrived first in Hong Kong. At that time the Chinese Empire was at war with England and France (the Lorcha Arrow War), and the Amazonas had problems finding a dock, reason for which, after 20 days, she had to sail to Calcutta, under British jurisdiction.
During the trip the frigate suffered a heavy storm that only could have been survived thanks to the navigation skills of the crew. She crossed the Straight of Singapore, and remained in that port for a few days. Next she proceed to India. The Amazonas arrived in Calcutta on February 6, 1857, and had to remain there almost three months. The stay in that dirty and unhealthy port was mortal for the Peruvians: Thirty-eight men died from cholera and other tropical diseases, including the doctor of the ship.
On April 28, 1857, the frigate finally sailed to England. She had to cross the Cape of Good Hope and pass trough several storms. After seventy-four days of mixed navigation (sixteen using her engines and fifty-eight sailing), on July 10, 1857, the ship arrived at the Santa Elena Island, and her officers seized to opportunity to visit the place that became the exile of the most admired Napoleon Bonapart.
From Santa Elena the Amazonas continued to England. First she made a stop at Plymouth and next continued to London. Once at the “Money Wigram” shipyards, she went trough a process of improvements that lasted 139 days and her artillery was completed.
From London the frigate returned to Plymouth remaining there between January 16-28 1858. The Amazonas then sailed back home. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 7 1858. Next, under command of Captain Ignacio Mariategui, who boarded the ship at Rio, the Amazonas had to cross the straight of Magellan, which she accomplished without problems. On May 1st she stopped briefly at the Chilean port of Talcahuano. On May 5, she sailed towards the Peruvian port of Arica and finally arrived at Callao on May 28, 1858.
The Amazonas became this way the first Latin-American warship to sail around the world. The trip lasted nineteen months and the ship had covered a total of 41,277 miles. This was a difficult task that increased the prestige of the Peruvian Navy. The voyage demonstrated the capability of Peru’s pilots and sailors by crossing heavy storms in Formosa and Calcutta, as well as the discipline of its crews in the most difficult situations. Nevertheless the price was high: To the 38 crewmen who died in India, another 20 perished at sea. However the mission was accomplished.
During the next eight years the Amazonas remained along with the frigate Apurimac as Peru’s best warship. When the Government of Ecuador illegally paid its British creditors with Peruvian land, the Amazonas was dispatched to blockade the port of Guayaquil. She accomplished her mission from November 1858 through August 1859.
Six years later, during the war with Spain she was commissioned to take part in the operations against the Iberian fleet. However, in January 1866, while navigating in convoy towards the South of Chile, crossing difficult straights and unknown, windy channels, the glorious ship collided against a submerged rock, shipwrecked and was lost forever, without having the chance to prove herself at battle.
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Perú