Juan Williams Rebolledo (Curacaví, Melipilla Province, 1825 – Santiago, June 24, 1910) was a Chilean rear admiral who was the organizer and commander-in-chief of the Chilean navy at the beginning of the War of the Pacific.
Williams was the son of John Williams Wilson, an English navy officer, and of the Chilean lady Micaela Rebolledo. His father came to Chile to serve in its recently formed navy under the command of Lord Cochrane.
He joined the n...
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Juan Williams Rebolledo (Curacaví, Melipilla Province, 1825 – Santiago, June 24, 1910) was a Chilean rear admiral who was the organizer and commander-in-chief of the Chilean navy at the beginning of the War of the Pacific.
Williams was the son of John Williams Wilson, an English navy officer, and of the Chilean lady Micaela Rebolledo. His father came to Chile to serve in its recently formed navy under the command of Lord Cochrane.
He joined the navy in 1844. After rising quite fast through the ranks, in 1855 he was appointed General Commandant of the Arsenals and Maritime Governor of Atacama, then the northernmost province of Chile.
In 1865, he became commandant of the Esmeralda, which he sailed during the Chincha Islands War against Spain. During this war he became a national hero when he managed to capture the Spanish schooner Covadonga at the Naval Battle of Papudo, on November 26, 1865. For years thereafter, he trained all the officers that later were to participate in the War of...
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