Ron van Maanen
Armitage (1836, p. 256-257) spoke dealing with the Buenos Ayrean squadron in early 1826 'about a few vessels'. Due to the fight that her admiral Brown decided to attack the Brazilian squadron in the night of 29 July things changed. Before the next morning his flagship was reduced to nothing more than a wreck, towed in safety by gunboats meanwhile protected by the brig Republic which became the new flagship. So the Buenos Ayreans were forced to change tactics, namely "by means of privateers, which they were continually fitting out, they shortly succeeded in rendering themselves more formidable than ever. These vessels were, for the most part, beautiful Baltimore built schooners, and brigs from one to twelve guns, manned by adventurers of all nations, English, Americans, Frenchmen, and Italians; in general individuals of dissolute character, yet brave and reckless to the last degree. The inactivity of the Buenos Ayrean squadron enabled them to fill up their complement of men as quickly as they could be prepared for sea, and before many months had elapsed, the entire coast from Maranham to Rio Grande was infested by these unscrupulous predators".
(p. 262) "However the Buenos Ayreans tried to change their position. "They were further induced to do this from their confident expectation of the speedy arrival of two frigates, a corvette, and several smaller vessels, which they had lately purchased from the Chilian Government. Unfortunately, however, for the success of their calculations, the expected vessels encountered a gale off Cape Horn, in which one of the frigates sustained so much damage, that she was compelled to return to Chili, where she was condemned as unseaworthy; and the other, with five hundred men on board, is supposed to have foundered, never after having been heard of. The only vessels which succeeded in making their way to the point of rendezvous in Patagonia, were the corvette Chacabuco, and a small schooner". When the Brazilian emperor Don Pedro departed Rio with his ship of the line Don Pedro Primeiro he saw his own squadron failing in obstructing the escaping Chacabuco. (p. 263-264) "This vessel had been cruising along the coast, in company with the Sarandi schooner, on board of which was Admiral Brown, and they had already captured a number of merchant vessels, which were successively sent down to the Salado, a small river on the opposite bank to Monte Video. Off St. Catherine the two vessels accidentally separated, and on the clearing up of a fog the Chacabuco found herself in the midst of a hostile squadron. All the vessels immediately closed upon her, but after exchanging a few broadsides, her Commander, by his superior manoeuvring succeeded in extricating her without material damage, from her apparently perilous position".
Beaumont published in 1828 a list, earlier published in the Mensagero with some alterations. The list contains the names of the ships of the so-called Republican squadron and the privateers fitted out from Buenos Ayres. See also my earlier notes on this weblog "Naval strength of the Republic of Buenos Aires (the predecessor of the Argentine navy)".
Republican squadron, existing of 31 guns armed with 186 guns:
corvette Chacabuco, 23 guns
corvette Ituzaingó, 22 guns, captured at Patagones
barque Congreso, 18 guns
brig General Balcarce, 14 guns
herm. brig 8 de Febrero, 14 guns, captured in Uruguay
herm. brig Patagones, 5 guns, captured at Patagones
schooner Guanaco, 10 guns
schooner Union, 10 guns
schooner Sarandí, 9 guns
schooner 29 de Diciembre, 9 guns, captured in Uruguay
schooner 9 de Febrero, 8 guns, captured in Uruguay
schooner Maldonado (prize to Fournier), 8 guns
schooner Juncal, 3 guns, captured at Patagones
schooner 11 de Junio, 2 guns, captured in Uruguay
schooner 30 de Julio, 2 guns, captured in Uruguay
schooner 18 de Enero, 2 guns, captured in Uruguay
zumaca Uruguay, 7 guns,
queche One, 3 guns
4 gunboats each with 2 canons
9 gunboats each with one gun
The Twenty-fifth of May [as named in the text, her the original spelling of her name must be something like Veinticinco di Mayo] was dismantled.
In a fight on 8 April with the Brazilian navy the frigate Independence was destroyed and apparently the wreck burnt. She had 60-70 killed and wounded, the brig Republic burnt, 2 dead, 11 wounded, the Sarandí 5 dead, 12 wounded.
Privateers
From Buenos Aires
brigs:
Lavalleja, Oriental Argentine, La Presidente
schooners:
Sin Par, General Mancilla, Vengadora Argentina, Presidente
boats:
Hijo de Mayo, Hijo de Julio, Comet, Margaret, Republicano, Ituzaingo, Union Argentino
from the Salado
Vencedor de Ituzaingo (late Bolivar)
From Maldonado
Fourniers'brig Revenge (late British brig Florida)
Sources
J.A.B. Beaumont. Travels in Buenos Ayres and the Adjacent provinces of the Rio de la Plata with observations intended for the us of persons who contemplate emigrating to that country. London, 1828, p. 217.
John Armitage. The History of Brazil from the period of the arrival of the Braganza family in 1808 to the abdication of don Pedro the first in 1831. London, 1836, p. 256-257, 262-263.
