MundoAndino Home : Chile Guide at Mundo Andino
Luis Uribe
Related topics:
Chilean admirals
Chilean Ministers of Defense
Chilean people
Chilean admirals Forum
Luis Uribe Orrego was a Vice-Admiral of the Chilean Navy and a hero of the War of the Pacific.
Luis Uribe was born in Copiapo, the son of Juan Jose Uribe and of Rosario Orrego. He joined the navy on August 20, 1858, at the age of 9 years old, and graduated from the naval academy on July 16, 1861 as an midshipman. His first post was on the "Esmeralda", where he travelled to the extreme south of Chile, to the Juan Fernandez Islands and to Peru. Uribe was promoted to ensign (equivalent of army's Second Lieutenant) on 1869, and the next year participated on a scientific expedition to Easter Island, where they prepared a topographic study.
At the beginning of the War of the Pacific, Uribe was the second commander of the Esmeralda, and their first mission was to blockade the Peruvian port of Iquique. On May 21, 1879 their ship faced the Huascar during the Naval Battle of Iquique. His commander and friend Arturo Prat, together with most of the crew died that day, but Uribe continued fighting until the "Esmeralda" went under. He was captured while floating on the bay after the sinking together with only 62 survivors out of a complement of 197.
Related websites
Official biography
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Chilean admirals or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Luis Uribe
