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The Battle of Valparaíso, also called the Capture of USS Essex, was a naval action fought during the War of 1812. It took place off Valparaíso, Chile on March 28, 1814, between the frigate and the sloop of the United States Navy and the frigate and sloop of the Royal Navy. The British ships won the battle, and the American vessels were captured. ==Battle== On March 28, 1814, ''Essex'' and ''Essex Junior'', commanded by Captain David Porter, were brought to battle north of the Pacific port of Valparaíso, Chile. ''Essex'' had been raiding the English whaling fleets for a year during the War of 1812. The British admiralty dispatched two ships, ''Phoebe'' of 36 guns and ''Cherub'' of 18 guns under Captain James Hillyar, to go find and capture the American raiders. ''Essex'' was cornered in Valparaíso, and in the first meeting between the two ships, ''Phoebe'' came exceedingly close to the ''Essex'', as if to start a battle and violate Chilean neutrality. Captain Porter threatened to board ''Phoebe'' if it touched one rope of the ''Essex''. The ''Essex'' tried to escape on March 28, and when extremely close to success, she lost a topmast, impairing maneuverability. A few hours later, Hillyar with the ''Phoebe'' and ''Cherub'' brought ''Essex'' and the ''Essex Junior'' to battle. For hours, the ''Essex'', armed with carronades, cannons with short range, was pounded by the long cannons of ''Phoebe'' and ''Cherub'', until the ship was an unmanageable wreck and surrendered. Out of a crew of 154 the ''Essex'' suffered 58 dead, 45 wounded and 31 missing〔http://www.navy.mil/search/display_word.asp?story_id=37263〕 The ''Phoebe'' had 4 killed and 7 wounded. The ''Cherub'' had 1 killed and 3 wounded. David Glasgow Farragut, a future United States Navy admiral, was on board the ''Essex'' as a midshipman during this battle. ''Essex'' was later repaired and commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Essex''. She served for over twenty years before being de-commissioned and sold off in 1837. Herman Melville criticized Porter's refusal to strike his colors when it became clear the situation was hopeless, instead seeking to "crown himself with the glory of the shambles, by permitting his hopeless crew to be butchered before his eyes." "Nor, by thus continuing to fight, did this American frigate, one iota, promote the true interests of her country." There is a memorial for the American dead in the Dissidents Cemetery in Valparaiso. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Valparaíso」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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