The Battle of Iquique was a battle of the War of the Pacific that was fought between the Chilean Navy corvette Esmeralda and the Peruvian Navy ironclad Huascar off the coast of Iquique, Peru on 21 May 1879.
Bolivia's threat to confiscate and sell a nitrate and railroad company with Chilean and British investors in 1879 led to the Chilean Army seizing the port of Antofagasta, triggering a declaration of war by Bolivia. Peru, bound by a secret treaty with Bolivia, entered the war on 5 April, causing the Chilean Navy to focus its efforts on destroying the Peruvian Navy. While the Chileans sailed towards Callao and blockaded Iquique, the Peruvian monitor Huascar and armored frigate Independencia steamed south from Callao undetected and attacked the Chilean corvette Esmeralda and schooner Covadonga as they blockaded Iquique. On 21 May 1879, the Peruvians attacked through a dense marine fog, and the Chilean commander Arturo Prat was killed during a failed attempt to capture the Peruvian ship Huascar as it rammed the Esmeralda and caused it to sink. The Huascar rammed Esmeralda three times before she sank, and the Peruvians of Huascar honorably rescued several Chilean sailors before they could down. However, the Peruvians of Independencia were ordered to shoot the Chilean survivors by Commander Carlos Condell. Rear Admiral Miguel Grau had Prat's personal belongings sent to his widow along with a letter commending Prat's bravery, while Chile responded to its defeats at Iquique and Punta Gruesa by ordering mass conscription, and many Chileans enlisted voluntarily to honor the fallen and contribut eto Chile's ultimate victory in the conflict. Both PRat and Grau were hailed as "gentlemen of the seas" in both countries for their heroism.