Battle of Cape Manglares

The battle of Cape Manglares or Punta Galera was a naval battle, during Spanish American Wars of Independence, facing the Spanish navy frigate "Prueba" which, on May 12-16, 1820, fought the corvette of the Chilean navy, "Rosa de los Andes" or "The Andes" (in honor of crossing the Andes), aka "Rose." It is the same ship "Rose" that brought to Chile Admiral Thomas Cochrane, formerly a war corvette of the British Royal Navy. John Illinworth, in command of the Chilean ship, developed the Corsican on the Pacific coast as far as Panama, and He was fought by the Spanish commander Antonio Vacaro, captain of frigate "Prueba".

Battle
At noon on May 14, at the height of Cabo Manglares, the frigate sighted a windward boat at a great distance. Both approached to recognize each other, until they arrived, at three o'clock in the afternoon, a league away, the Chilean corvette turned, deploy sails, and changed the British pavilion that until that moment had had for the Chilean pavilion. The Spanish frigate tries to chase the Chilean corvette, around four o'clock it tries the combat, but it does not have a possibility until the night, when the corvette escapes in the dark. Throughout the night, the frigate Test navigates embroidered by the wind conditions, waiting for the enemy corvette to be visible again on the horizon at daybreak, since the enemy can not win so much in Windward.

At dawn on May 15, the corvette is seen again five leagues from Leeward, and immediately the frigate goes towards it to pursue it. The Chilean corvette sailed for getting more wind through the fin, swelling the sails to avoid combat, but with the frigate shortening the distance, at a shot of half a cannon, had to open fire. The Spanish frigate did not respond until it had a very short distance, then opened fire to duplicate ammunition, shaken by the setbacks. At that time the boats were located in the southern part of the island of Gorgona. The action remained uninterrupted for more than an hour, until the frigate was on the ground, then to avoid the shipwreck, the corvette looked for the stern of the frigate, but at such a short distance, with the artillery of the frigate prepared, open fire that has left in silence all the weapons f the corvette, that until then had made sustained fire, incapable to respond with a shot of rifle. Major John Illinworth was badly wounded in the face, he even thought himself dead. The completely silenced corsair ship escaped. The Spanish frigate, with its prow a point of run aground on the reefs of the island of Gorgona, turned energetically, and under heavy rain, the enemy corvette had lost his sight in the darkness.

At dawn on May 16, the Spanish commander, Antonio Vacaro, try to find the corvette. The first one in the anchorages of the island of Gorgona, not finding it, went to the coast, where it is discovered that the Chilean corvette, which had been badly damaged, entered the mouth of the Iscuandé River, seeking refuge in the riverbed, dragging the corvette inland, instead the bottom of the river, which must not be captured, or for which it is no longer allowed to float. Vacaro, with all caution, approached the frigate to the shoreline, but the low ground prevented it from the river. Three Spanish boats with probes that confirmed that the passage was not feasible to the frigate, due to the risk of running aground. The Chilean ship was finally stranded on the Iscuandé River.

Antonio Vacaro, remains until May 21 on the island of Gorgona, after rehabilitating, marks course to the south, sending the report of the battle to the viceroy. An American frigate gives part of the battle to the Spanish authorities. The president of Quito, Melchor Aymerich, and the report of May 30 of the Governor of Barbacoas, Antonio Rodríguez y Moreno, who transmits the reports of two of the vanguard detachments, which communicate that Rosa de los Andes has been stranded in the Iscuandé river, being abandoned by his crew, who manages to flee inland to join the Bolivarian revolutionaries. The corvette had been burned on that date or earlier, May 30, date of the report of the captain Illinworth's.

Conclusions
Antonio Vacaro obtained an important victory for the Spanish navy. Chile lost the ship "Rosa de los Andes", which was stranded in the Iscuandé river.