Qualla: Battle of Caldera Bay https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:07 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Battle of Caldera Bay https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay Battle of Caldera Bay: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ Nine minutes. That was all it took to change naval warfare on the morning of April 23, 1891. In the sheltered waters of Caldera Bay, on the arid coast of northern Chile, two small torpedo boats crept toward the armored frigate Blanco Encalada before dawn. By the time the engagement ended, 182 men were dead, the frigate was settling on the bay floor, and navies around the world had learned a lesson they would spend the next two decades absorbing: even the most heavily armored warship could be destroyed by a weapon costing a fraction of its price.

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Caldera Bay: A Nation Divided Against Itself https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ Chile's 1891 civil war grew from a constitutional crisis. President Jose Manuel Balmaceda refused to sign the national budget passed by Congress, then dissolved the legislature altogether. The split fractured both the army and navy, with some forces loyal to the president (Balmac...

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-a-nation-divided-against-itself.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Caldera Bay: Torpedo Nets Left Ashore https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ Blanco Encalada arrived at Caldera Bay on the evening of April 22 under Captain Goni. Troops disembarked and captured the railroad and town. Although Goni knew enemy torpedo boats were in the area, the Congressional command believed the Balmacedists would not risk attacking their...

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-torpedo-nets-left-ashore.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Caldera Bay: A Llama, a Cow, and Two Minutes https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ Almirante Condell attacked first, firing her bow torpedo. It missed and landed onshore, unexploded. Commander Moraga turned directly into the frigate's gunfire and launched both starboard torpedoes. One struck but failed to detonate. The other passed under the hull entirely. But ...

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-a-llama-a-cow-and-two-minutes.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Caldera Bay: The First Ironclad Killed by a Torpedo https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ Blanco Encalada holds a grim distinction: it was the first ironclad warship in history sunk by a self-propelled torpedo. The implications rippled through admiralties worldwide. If two small, inexpensive torpedo boats could destroy a heavily armored capital ship in minutes, the ca...

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-the-first-ironclad-killed-by-a-torpedo.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Caldera Bay: What the Bay Remembers https://qualla.com/battle-of-caldera-bay/ The Chilean civil war ended four months later when Congressional forces defeated the Balmacedist army at the Battle of La Placilla on August 28, with the Balmacedist forces losing nearly 1,000 men killed before Congressional troops marched into Santiago. Blanco Encalada remained ...

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]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/6/7/j/w/battle-of-caldera-bay-wp/67jw-battle-of-caldera-bay-what-the-bay-remembers.mp3 0:06 6 full