Qualla: Battle of El Espinillo

Battle of El Espinillo: Introduction

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Picture warships firing on each other across the brown water of the Paraná, both flying the same flag. On September 29, 1893, in a channel between sandbars off El Espinillo Island, directly across the river from Rosario, the Argentine Navy fought itself. A rebellion had split the fleet down the middle, officer against officer, and now armored ships that had been built to defend the nation traded broadsides at a few thousand yards. It became the largest battle of armored naval units ever fought in Argentine history, and it took place not on the open sea but on a river, within sight of a major city's docks.

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Battle of El Espinillo: A Revolution That Failed

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The roots of the fight lay in politics, not war. The Radical Civic Union, the UCR, had risen against a government it accused of fraud and corruption, the latest in a series of revolts that punctuated the era. The party itself was split: Leandro Alem favored seizing power outright...

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Battle of El Espinillo: Mutiny on the River

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

When word of the Rosario uprising reached Buenos Aires, the monitor ARA Los Andes set out up the Paraná, carrying weapons meant for forces loyal to the government. She never delivered them as ordered. On September 26, her own officers, led by a lieutenant, mutinied, arrested thei...

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Battle of El Espinillo: The Guns of El Espinillo

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Having unloaded part of her cargo at Rosario, Los Andes slipped across to a fourteen-foot channel between two sandbars south of El Espinillo Island and held position without anchoring, using the shallow water to hamper the heavier government ship. The battle opened at 11:30, when...

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Battle of El Espinillo: What the River Decided

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The mercy did not save the rebels. Los Andes took so much punishment that her crew ran her aground to keep her from sinking, and the battered hull was pressed into service as a makeshift hospital ship. With her defeat, the rebellion lost its momentum. After talks between the muti...

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