40-gun frigate Esmeralda
In directing naval operations off the coast of Peru, Cochrane was not content with routine blockade duties. As usual, he wanted to achievesomething more spectacular. Callao, as before, bristled with guns and was defended by a squadron of warships andgunboats headed by the 40-gun frigate Esmeralda, which was armed with a mixture of 12- and 24-pounder cannon and equipped with sufficient stores forathree-month voyage. The other two major Spanish units, Prueba and Venganza, had sailed on 10 October and had been inArica embarking troops when news was received of Cochrane’s arrival off Callao and of the resumption of the blockade. After a council of war, the two captains had decided to head north for San Blas and Acapulco rather than risk a confrontation with the Chilean squadron.1 Esmeralda therefore became the focus of Cochrane’s attention. читать полностью…
ship was destroyed
As night fell, the rafts were towed into position by the brigs Galvarino,Araucano andPueyrredon and began to fire into the anchorage. Each was commanded by a marine officer – the mortars by Major WilliamMiller; and the rockets by Colonel James Charles and Captain Henry Hind. They were answered by a hail of cannon fire, the shore batteries using red-hot shot. After a vigorous exchange, the Chileans withdrew. читать полностью…
74-gun ships Alejandro IandSan Telmo
The orders Cochrane carried were as detailed as those he had received for the first cruise. The object of the expedition, he was reminded, was to secure the command of the Pacific that was so vital for the forthcoming invasion. But this time there was additional urgency, fornews had arrived that a third Spanish reinforcement had left Cadiz in May. With its initial plan for maritime supremacy foiled by the capture of theMaria Isabel and half of its convoy, the Spanish Government had decided tosend asubstantial force to the Pacific. This time it comprised the 74-gun ships Alejandro IandSan Telmo and the frigatePrueba, whose arrival would clearly mean a sharp swing ofmaritime power infavour ofSpain. Cochrane therefore had two objectives – one to find and destroy the Spanish ships; the other to attack Callao and its shipping using rockets. читать полностью…
Success, O’Higgins
Once more, O’Higgins was sympathetic, and agreed that, in addition tohisnormal one-eighth share of prize values, Cochrane should receive one-eighth of the government’s half as well – thus doubling his receipts and putting them on a par with what he would have received in the Royal Navy. Indeed, in their desire to win the confidence of the navy and reward its success, O’Higgins and Zenteno persuaded the Senate to agree that during the next cruise the state would forego its claim to half of the prizes taken, and would hand over the complete value of armed ships and equipment – though not of cargoes – to the captors. читать полностью…
The fastest sailboat in the world – «Hydroptere» video;
«Hydroptere» created by a group of French engineers in order to show the different perspectives of sailing means of transportation on water. After all, this sailboat can accelerate to a speed of 55.5 knots, equivalent to 103 km / h
In this case, it does not float on water, and floats above it . читать полностью…
Income of British flag officers
She was also enjoying thesocial life of Valparaiso and indulging in some adventurous travelling with her two children in the mountains and countryside around. Alas, Cochrane’s optimism was already being undermined by money problems. As usual, his expenses – with Kitty’s assistance – were running ahead of his income. The costs offinding ahouse, of repairing it,ofemploying servants, and ofproviding the level of entertainment expected of an admiral on his flagship were well in excess of the $6000 he was being paid. Cochrane explained the problem toO’Higgins and described theRoyal Navy’s system of command pay or ‘table money’ for official entertainment, which effectively doubled the income of British flag officers. The Supreme Director saw the point. He and Zenteno sidestepped the question of table money, but got the Senate toagree thatCochrane’s annual emoluments should be increased to $10,000, or £2000. It was made clear however that the extra $4000 was apersonal gratuity payable only to Cochrane in recognition ofhis special circumstances and experience. читать полностью…
Lady Cochrane
Cochrane asked William to contact Francis Place, the Charing Cross tailorwho was one of Cochrane’s radical friends, and to order a gross of admiral’s brass buttons – without crowns – and a supply of blue cloth suitable for uniforms. Cochrane was also getting on well with the Supreme Director. Bernardo O’Higgins was half Irish himself and had been educated in England with theresult thathe understood Lord Cochrane and Cochrane understood him. Itwas toprove aprofitable relationship. читать полностью…
Frustrated by the Spanish
Cochrane himself was more guarded in his assessment. In his view the purpose of the voyage – which had been to ‘reconnoitre, with aview to future operations when the squadron should be rendered efficient, but more especially to ascertain the inclinations of the Peruvians in regard to their desire for emancipation’ – had been achieved, and as a bonus, he had been able to ‘restrict the Spanish naval force to the shelter of their forts, defeat their military forces wherever encountered, and capture a not inconsiderable amount of treasure’.13Further success had, however, been frustrated by the Spanish ‘passive system of defence’ and the refusal of their naval forces to come out and fight. читать полностью…
The Callao Campaign
The rest of the booty was loaded onto the Spanish schoonerSacramento, which had been seized in the bay. On 5 May, Cochrane returned to Callao. There was no sign ofthe blockading squadron, so,after waiting three days, Cochrane sailed back to Supe to pick upGalvarino and the prizes before sailing south for home. Behind him, the Spanish advanced to reoccupy the towns he had liberated, inflicting heavy punishments on those who had shown support for the patriot cause. In Huacho and Supe alone, 13 sympathisers were shot and 15 imprisoned. On 19 June Cochrane arrived back in the middle of the raw, cold northerly gales ofthe Valparaiso winter, joining Blanco Encalada and therest ofthesquadron, which had been forced to raise the blockadeof Callao at the beginning of May by shortage of supplies. читать полностью…
