Toro Submarino (lit. "Submarine Bull") was a Peruvian submarine developed during the War of the Pacific in 1879. It is considered the first operational submarine or submersible in Latin America. Being fully operational, waiting for its opportunity to attack during the Blockade of Callao, it was scuttled to avoid its capture by Chilean troops on January 17, 1881, before the imminent occupation of Lima.
Development
In 1864, a civil engineer of Peruvian nationality, born to a German father and Venezuelan mother, Federico Blume Othon (1831–1901), developed the design of the first submarine for the Peruvian Navy. Blume who participated in the construction of railroads in Peru, presented his idea after the Spanish Pacific squadron occupied the Chincha Islands during the Chincha Islands War. His purpose was to create a device that could confront, with minimum risk, the powerful enemy fleet. The result was Toro Submarino (Submarine Bull). It was a revolutionary design for the ships of those days.
She floated and could dive by opening the seacock and filling the ballast tanks. It could also renew the air being submerged using the principle of the snorkel. The war with Spain however came to an end in 1866, and the submarine was not built.
During the Pacific War with Chile, Blume once again offered his services to the Peruvian Navy, presenting an improved version of his 1864 submarine. The engineer started to work on his machine in June 1879, only two months after the declaration of war, financing the project with his own resources. The work was carried out in secrecy during four months at a factory property of the Piura–Paita Northern Railroad. The submarine, a cylindrical, iron boiler, bound together by iron strips and rivets, could be operated manually by eight men out of a total crew of eleven who, at the same time, could move the air fans and the water pump. The ventilation tubes were made of brass, and they could be raised or lowered through a special device. Ship instrumentation included internal pressure gauges, depth meter and ballast tank water level.
On October 14, 1879, Blume, together with his son and eight railroad workers, started testing the submarine off the coast of Paita and proved that the submarine could reach incredible results: a depth of with ventilation system and a maximum speed of . Blume perfected the ship, making 18 additional hour-plus dives over the next 24 days, achieving a maximum dive of without issue.
News about the amazing weapon reached Supreme Director Nicolás de Piérola, who became very enthusiastic about the idea of using it against the Chilean Navy, so preparations were made to show her capability to the authorities.
Service
The submarine was brought to Callao under the utmost secrecy, hidden in the transport Limeña. In July 1880, Toro Submarino made its first official submersion in presence of the Peruvian Minister of War and Marine Manuel de Mendiburu. During these maneuvers, the submarine remained submerged for 30 minutes without suffering any drawback, proving that it could be used as a reliable weapons platform; the Minister was very impressed. His report to the government about the capabilities of the submarine was favorable, and a decision was made to use it against Chilean warships.
The Peruvian Government appoints a board of mariners and engineers to study improvements to the invention and allocates a fund of S/. 10,000 for the construction of another improved submersible, larger and with superior design characteristics, intending to eliminate the 2 air tubes, using compressed air for the crew to breathe while immersed and eliminating one of the turrets. Thus, an empty keel was added to the hull design in the bow along with an Otto gasoline engine in the stern to give it greater forward speed and greater surface range. The construction of the new submarine was advanced in the Factory of Juan V. Juliá.
However, the adverse development of the war for Peru and the imminent beginning of the Blockade of Callao in 1880, made the Marina de Guerra del Perú order its use and will prepare the "Toro Submarine". The improvement works were carried out in the :es: Factoría Naval de Bellavista, the 2 turrets were replaced by only a central one, the ventilation tubes were removed, a small steam engine was adapted to the stern and the torpedoes type Lay or up to 04 naval mines of 10 pounds of dynamite each and time controller that adhered to the cases of an enemy ship. Its main objective would be to advance at night and attack of the enemy ironclad frigates ( or ), that prowled the bay of Callao.