Battle of Abtao
| Battle of Abtao | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Chincha Islands War | |||||||
Spanish screw frigates Reina Blanca and Villa de Madrid during the battle, by Federico Castellón Martínez. Naval Museum of Madrid | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Spain |
Peru Chile | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Claudio Alvargonzález Sánchez Juan Bautista Topete |
Manuel Villar Olivera Miguel Grau Manuel Ferreyros Manuel Thomson | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2 frigates |
1 frigate 2 corvettes 1 schooner | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 wounded | 2 to 12 killed, 1 to about 20 wounded | ||||||
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The Battle of Abtao was a naval action fought on February 7, 1866, during the Chincha Islands War, between a Spanish squadron and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet, at the island of Abtao in the Gulf of Ancud near Chiloé Archipelago in south-central Chile. It was limited to a long-range exchange of fire between the two squadrons, as the allied ships, anchored behind the island, were protected by shallow waters inaccessible to the Spanish ships, whose gunnery, nevertheless, proved more accurate and inflicted damage to the Chilean and Peruvian ships.