 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Ecuador | |
| Name | Abdón Calderón |
| Builder | David Dunlop & Co,Port Glasgow |
| Yard number | 179 |
| Laid down | 1884 |
| Launched | 15 November 1884 |
| Completed | 1885 |
| Acquired | 12 December 1886 |
| Decommissioned | 1960 |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 186GRT |
| Displacement | 300 long tons (305 t) |
| Length | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | Reciprocal steam engine, 1 shaft, 150 shp (112 kW) |
| Speed | 8knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
| Range | 500 nmi (930 km) |
| Complement | 54 |
| Armament |
|
BAEAbdón Calderón is anaval ship ofEcuador, built in 1885 and preserved as amuseum ship atGuayaquil.
The Ecuadorian naval vesselAbdón Calderón was built in 1885 atPort Glasgow,Scotland by David Dunlop & Co as the cargo shipChaihuin forChilean shipowners Adam Greulich y Compañia ofValparaiso.[1] In December 1886 she was purchased by the Ecuador Government, becoming the war steamerCotopaxi, and was armed with four breech-loadingArmstrong cannons and twoGatling guns.[1] In 1892Cotopaxi was redesignated as acruiser.[1]
In September 1913 in theConcha Revolution following the assassination of PresidentEloy Alfaro, the people ofEsmeraldas revolted against the government of the new president, GeneralLeónidas Plaza and attacked the local army headquarters.Cotopaxi was already anchored nearby and approached the city and fired warning shots from her 76mm cannon. With the assistance of two contingents of her crew which went ashore, the army was relieved.[2] An extended siege followed, but after the end of the revolts in 1916 a period of austerity led to the reduction in the size of the navy, with only theCotopaxi remaining in service by the mid-1920s.[2] From 1924 she was also used as a training ship.[3] In 1927Cotopaxi was again redesignated, as agunboat, and nine years later her name was changed toAbdón Calderón in honour of the revolutionary hero who died from injuries sustained on 24 May 1822 during theBattle of Pichincha.[1]
At the beginning of theEcuadorian–Peruvian War in July 1941, the port of Guayaquil was blockaded andAbdón Calderón was hurriedly prepared, though with antiquated armament.[4] On 25 July she encountered the PeruvianOrfey class destroyerAlmirante Villar in theJambeli channel.[4][5] After spotting Abdon Calderón, the Ecuadorian ship that was in transit to Guayaquil, as soon as it recognized the Peruvian ship, turned 180º with respect to its course, fleeing towards Puerto Bolívar while firing shots."Admiral Villar" did the same, maneuvering in circles, avoiding getting too close to the coast (due to the low seabed there). After 21 minutes of exchange of shots by both sides, the incident ended.[6][7] On her side, the destroyer "Almirante Villar" continued its operations uninterruptedly in the North Theater of Operations until October 1 of that year, when she returned to the port of Callao. On the other hand, the "Abdón Calderón" suffered serious damage to its caldera, forcing it to flee and hiding behind the dense vegetation in the Jambelí Canal and the Santa Rosa estuary.[4]
According to the official Ecuadorian military history, the BAP Almirante Villar of Peru received significant damage from the BAE Calderón, but there is no evidence to support such a version. Neither documentary nor materially has it been possible to demonstrate with evidence that the Peruvian destroyer received impacts and was damaged according to the report of Ecuadorian Commander Morán, in charge of "Abdón Calderón".[citation needed]
Abdón Calderón was later transferred to the Coast Guard and remained in active service until 1957, when she was moored in port.[1]
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In 1960Abdón Calderón was decommissioned for conversion to a staticmemorial museum and placed ashore in the Parque de la Armada (Navy Park) at Guayaquil. The museum was inaugurated in 1972.[8]
2°12′56″S79°53′14″W / 2.21543°S 79.88731°W /-2.21543; -79.88731