I heard that during the Qing Dynasty, the navies of Peru, Chile and Argentina were extremely powerful, even worse than the United States! ! Introduce it! !

Yes, I read a book written by an American diplomat in South China. That's what it says. The content should be credible.

I don't know exactly.

Before the first world war, the military strength of the United States was quite weak, and the number of troops was very small.

Because they are worried that the strength of the army may threaten democracy.

/kloc-In the middle of 0/9th century, the whole of South America gained independence. However, emerging countries are still in turmoil, and they are keen to develop their own resources and go to the world on this basis. Nitrate resources are particularly precious in the Pacific coast and nearby areas, so it has become the focus of competition among Chile, Peru and Bolivia in this area. The struggle eventually led to war.

1879 to 1883, the Pacific War broke out between Peru and Chile for the saltpeter mining area along the Pacific coast. Because of the poor land traffic, the war depends largely on the power of the sea. In this regard, Chile has the largest navy and the most advanced equipment, while Bolivia has no navy at all. It seems that the naval battle mode is still carried out in accordance with the marine strategy of the American Civil War. The powerful Chilean navy blocked the Peruvian seaport city of Iquique, and the short and pithy Peruvian navy conducted flexible maritime guerrilla warfare on the premise of avoiding decisive battle at sea as much as possible.

Admiral Grau, commander-in-chief of the Peruvian navy, personally led the first fleet of the secret navy to fight against the Chilean navy. 1879 in may, two of the most powerful warships of the Peruvian navy raided a Chilean warship moored near the port of iquique. The Peruvian turret "Juan Ska" launched three bend attacks on the Chilean sloop "Esmeralda", and finally successfully hit the latter for the third time, causing it to sink quickly. The captain Pratt of the "Esmeralda" who tried to jump into the sea for help was also killed. However, the Peruvian armored ship "Independence" collided with the Chilean sloop "Covadonga" and sank because it was too close to the coast. This is an attack that is not worth the loss. The Peruvian navy only has the only capital ship, the Juansca.

On July 23rd, "Juan Ska" captured the Chilean horse carrier "remarque". On the other hand, the Chilean fleet that blocked Iquique was forced to move to Varvari for renovation due to fatigue and poor supply. To this end, Chile dismissed Admiral William and was replaced by Brigadier General Galvarino Relleros. On September 20, the Chilean navy set sail again, first reinforcing Antofagasta's troops, and then splitting up, hoping to intercept the Juan Ska at sea.

10 10/8, Peru's small fleet composed of "Juansca" and "Unite" was ready to enter Angamos Bay to harass the Chilean army in Antofagasta, but it was intercepted by five Chilean warships that had already been lurking there. "Juan Ska" tried to avoid the battle, but the armored ships "Almirante Cochang" and "Blanco Nkadara" in Chile's central artillery position, which had just been repaired, were faster. At 9: 30 in the morning, the Juanska berthed and turned to the front. After an hour and a half of fierce fighting, the Juanska surrendered and General Grau was killed.

The sea power was held by Chile, and the Chilean navy used it extensively in the subsequent wars, and transported a large number of army troops ashore in a series of amphibious operations. Finally, Chile won the victory over Peru-Bolivia alliance by relying on its maritime superiority. Captured the territory rich in copper and saltpeter along the Pacific coast of South America, which originally belonged to Bolivia, and Chile became the world's largest exporter of copper and saltpeter.

Since then, Peru has ordered warships from Britain on a large scale. After the economic collapse, unable to pay the final payment, looking for buyers everywhere, selling. The Qing dynasty didn't buy it, and finally it was sold to Turkey.