Above, a drawing of the Atahualpa, former USS Catawba, leaving New Orleans for Peru, in January 1869. Built by Alex Swift & Co and Niles Works, Cincinnati, Ohio, this Canonicus class monitor was launched in 10 June 1865. She was never commissioned and was sold to Peru in April 1868. The ship was scuttled at Callao in January 16 1881. Displacement: 2,100 tons. Dimensions: 225 x 43 x 12.5-13 feet/68.58 x 13.2 x 3.78-3.96 meters Propulsion: Ericsson VL engines, 2 boilers, 1 shaft, 320 ihp, 8 knots. Crew: 100 men. Armor: Iron: 3-5 inch sides, 1.5 inch decks, 10 inch turret. Armament: 1 dual turret with 2x15 inch Dahlgren smoothbore. Designed by Ericsson, she was an improved version of the Passaic class ironclads. Ten of this ships were built. Significant changes from the Passaic design included heavier deck armor, better internal backing for the armor, uniform main batteries, and heavy armor around the turret base. Her twin ship, the USS Oneota, was also sold to Peru as Manco Capac.
Below, wooden corvette Union. Originally the Confederate Government ordered her construction to the Verns House of Nantes, France, but the financial problems of the Confederacy gave a chance to Peru to buy her in 1864. She had 1,600 tons, a 500 horse power engine and a 12.5 knots speed. She was armed with two one hundred pounder guns, two sixty eight pounders and twelve forty pounders (Photos courtesy Commander Alex Ru�z S�nchez-Salazar, Peruvian Navy).
