Carlos Condell

Carlos Condell de la Haza was born on August 14, 1843, in Valparaíso to a Scottish merchant father and a Peruvian mother. Entering the Chilean Navy, Condell served in the Chincha Islands War and was appointed commander of the modest wooden schooner Covadonga at the outbreak of the War of the Pacific in 1879.

On May 21, 1879, while Arturo Prat was fighting the Huáscar at Iquique, Condell was pursued by Peru's most powerful warship, the armored frigate Independencia. Using his ship's shallow draft, Condell navigated dangerously close to the reefs of Punta Gruesa. When the Peruvian ironclad attempted to ram, it struck an underwater shoal and grounded, allowing Condell to shell the stranded giant into surrender. He retired as Rear Admiral, celebrated alongside Prat.