Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel.

The equivalent rank in some navies translates as "ship captain" (e.g. French capitaine de vaisseau and Italian capitano di vascello), "captain of sea and war" (Portuguese capitão de mar e guerra), "captain at sea" (e.g. German Kapitän zur See, Dutch kapitein-ter-zee) or "captain of the first rank" (Russian - капитан 1-го ранга).

Role[link]

The command of a ship is often given to the naval rank equivalent to a commissioned officer between commander (OF-4) and commodore or rear admiral (OF-6).^{[Note 1]} The naval rank should not be confused with the army, air force or marine rank of captain, which has a NATO code of OF-2.

Title[link]

Any naval officer who commands a ship (titled commanding officer, or CO) is addressed by naval custom as "captain" while aboard in command. Officers with the rank of captain travelling aboard a vessel they do not command should be addressed by their rank and name (e.g., "Captain Smith"), but they should not be referred to as "the captain" to avoid confusion with the vessel's captain.^[1] According to US Navy wardroom etiquette, an embarked Navy captain is addressed in that setting as "Commodore".

On large ships (e.g., aircraft carriers), the executive officer (XO) may be a captain in rank, in which case it would be proper to address him by rank. Often the XO prefers to be called XO to avoid confusion with the CO, who is also a captain in rank and the captain of the ship.^[2]

Commands[link]

Captains with sea commands generally command ships of cruiser size or larger, the more senior the officer, the larger the ship, but ship commanders do not normally hold a higher rank than captain. In the Royal Navy, a captain might command a destroyer flotilla with the appointment (not rank) of captain (D), while naval aviator and naval flight officer captains in the U.S. Navy command aircraft carriers, large-deck amphibious assault ships, carrier air wings, maritime patrol air wings and functional and specialized air wings and air groups.

Rear admirals will normally embark on large capital ships such as aircraft carriers, which will function as the flagship for their strike group or battle group, but a captain will retain command of the actual ship. Even when a senior officer who is in the ship's captain's chain of command is present, all orders are given through the captain as a courtesy. Many captains hold shore commands and staff positions afloat and ashore.

Captains in national navies[link]

The following articles deal with the rank of captain as it is used in various navies.

• Captain (Canada)
• Captain (United Kingdom)
• Captain (U.S. Navy)
• Kapitän zur See (Germany)
• Komandor (Poland)

• 

  Captain insignia of the Royal Navy and captain (N) of the Royal Canadian Navy

• 

  Captain insignia of the Egyptian Navy

• 

  Ploiarchos (captain) insignia of Hellenic Navy

• 

  Komandor insignia of the Polish Navy

• 

  Capitán de navío (ship-of-the-line captain) of the Armada Española (Spanish Navy)

• 

  Insignia of a U.S. Navy captain

• 

  German navy rank insignia of a Kapitän zur See (captain at sea)

• 

  Royal Netherlands Navy kapitein-ter-zee

Notes[link]

References[link]

1. ^ William P. Mack, Harry A. Seymour, Lesa A. McComas (1998). The naval officer's guide. U.S. Navy: Naval Institute Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-55750-645-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=I9dMY47E0jwC&lpg=PA87&ots=RDoU0OCv1w&dq=Addressing%20the%20Officers%20and%20Crew&pg=PA91. 
2. ^ J. D. Fontana, R. M. Hillyer (1990). General Guide to NOSC Civilians Boarding Navy Ships. San Diego: Naval Oceans System Center. p. 9. http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sti/publications/pubs/sd/333/NOSCTD600b.pdf. 

Look up captain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Captain may refer to:

Occupations[link]

• Captain (nautical), person or officer usually in command of a ship or similar vessel
• Captain (airlines), senior person or officer usually in charge of an aircraft
• Fire captain, officer in a fire department
• Police captain, officer in a police organization
• Caporegime ("Capo"), high-ranking member ("captain") in charge of a Mafia crew
• Captain of industry, business leader
• Captain of the Port, harbour (UK) or coastguard (USA) post
• Captain-major, colonial officer of a Portuguese possession
• Precinct captain, political party's representative at an election precinct
• School Captain, student elected or appointed to represent the school
• The title of a chieftain in traditional Cretan society, as used by Nikos Kazantzakis in his novel Captain Michalis
• The chieftain (Captein) of the Oorlam people in 19th-century South Africa
• In Ottoman-ruled Bosnia and Herzegovina, the equivalent of a city mayor and/or sheriff (see Bosnian uprising)
• Castellan, captain of a medieval castle

Military ranks[link]

NATO OF-5 / US O-6

• Captain (naval)
• Capitaine de vaisseau (French)
• Captain at Sea
• Captain of Sea and War
• Captain (Canadian naval rank)
• Captain (Royal Navy) (British)
• Group Captain, a senior Air Force rank (generally in Britain and Commonwealth countries)
• Ship-of-the-Line Captain

NATO OF-2 / US O-3

• Captain (OF-2)
• Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)

Generic

• Captain (United States)

Media[link]

Television and film[link]

• Captain, Starfleet ranks and insignia
• Welcome to The Captain, a television series on CBS
• Captain, nickname of Indian actor Vijayakanth
• The Sea Captain, a character in The Simpsons
• Captain Pirate, a 1952 film
• The Captain (film), 1971 film

Literature[link]

• The Captain (play), a 1647 stage play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
• The Captain (1967 novel), by Jan de Hartog
• The Captain (1900s magazine), a magazine for young boys

Comics/manga[link]

• "The Captain", a former Captain America alternate identity, 1987–1989
• Captain (Hellsing), a fictional character from the Hellsing manga and OVA
• Captain (manga) (キャプテン), a baseball manga series by Akio Chiba
• Captain (comics), a satiric superhero from the comic book Nextwave
• Captain (Bleach) (隊長), the highest office available in the Gotei 13.
• Captain Boomerang, an Australian supervillain in the DC comics universe and member of the Flash's Rogues Gallery
• Captain Marvel (disambiguation), several fictional characters
• Captain Cold, a supervillain in the DC comics universe and member of the Flash's Rogues Gallery

Music[link]

• Captain (album), a 1998 release from Scottish band Idlewild
• Captain (band), a London-based alternative rock band
• Captain, the pseudonym of Markus Kaarlonen, a Finnish musician/songwriter/producer
• The Captain, the stage name used by Daryl Dragon as part of the 1970s and 1980s duo Captain & Tennille
• The Captain (album), the 1999 solo debut album of Australian country music singer Kasey Chambers
• "The Captain" (song), a 2009 song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro
• "The Captain", a song from the 1984 Leonard Cohen album Various Positions
• "The Captain", a song from the 2006 Guster album Ganging Up on the Sun
• "The Captain", a song on the 2006 The Knife album, Silent Shout
• "The Cap'm", a song from the 2007 They Might Be Giants album, The Else
• Captain, a nickname for Saki Shimizu, captain of girl group Berryz Kobo

Video games[link]

• Captain Falcon, a racer in the F-Zero series of video games

Ships[link]

• HMS Captain, one of seven Royal Navy ships
• Captain class frigates, a class of 78 Royal Navy frigates
• Royal Captain (East Indiaman)

Sports[link]

• Captain (sports), the leader of an athletic team, often with additional roles or responsibilities
  • Captain (association football)
  • Captain (Australian rules football)
  • Captain (cricket)
  • Captain (ice hockey)
  • Captain (baseball)
  • National Football League team captains
• The athletic moniker of Christopher Newport University is the Captains
• "The Captain", a nickname for hockey player Steve Yzerman
• "The Captain", a nickname for baseball player Derek Jeter

Other[link]

• Captain (videotex), a Japanese videotex system, operational from 1983 to 2002.
• Marion 6360, a power shovel known as "The Captain"
• Captain field, a crude oil field on Block 13/22a in the UK North Sea
• "The Captain," a nickname for the fascist Iron Guard leader, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
• "Captain Dock," a Movie 2011.Back to the Conscince
• "The Nottingham Captain", 19th Century rebel Jeremiah Brandreth

See also[link]

• Capitan (disambiguation)
• El Capitan (disambiguation), Spanish for "The Captain"
• Kapitan (disambiguation)
• Il Capitano
• Kapitän
• Katepano
• Kapudan Pasha
• Captain Underpants, a book series by Dav Pilkey

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg. He also has a close friendship with the family's anthropomorphic dog, Brian.

Stewie is considered to be the show's breakout character.^[3] Wizard magazine rated him the 95th greatest villain of all time.^[4]

[edit] Role in Family Guy

Stewie is a one-year old prodigy who has a very sophisticated psyche, is able to speak fluently, and is intended to have a slightly camp upper class English accent.^[5] He reaches his first birthday in the season 1 episode "Chitty Chitty Death Bang," and has not been referred to as being more than a year old since, although it is presumed that he has aged to the age of at least three, as he is seen in several episodes going to Pre-school. While highly literate and able to cite pop culture references that long predate his birth, he is also entranced by Raffi and the Teletubbies. Stewie succumbs to other weaknesses of children his age – he believes Peter has truly disappeared in a game of Peekaboo, talks to his teddy bear (Rupert) as if he were alive, is overcome with laughter when Lois blows on his stomach,^[6] and has no idea how to use a toilet. MacFarlane has stated that Stewie is meant to represent the general helplessness of an infant through the eyes of an adult. Per cartoon physics, his ability to move objects of greater weight than himself is not surprising to other characters, nor is his ability to retrieve firearms from hammerspace.

Stewie's mastery of physics and mechanical engineering are at a level of science fiction. He has constructed advanced fighter-jets, mind control devices, a weather control device, a teleportation device, robots, clones, a working Transporter device from Star Trek, time machines, a Multiverse Transporter, a shrinking pod,^[7] as well as an assortment of guns including lasers, rocket launchers, and crossbows. Stewie employs these to cope with the stresses of infant life (such as teething pain, and eating broccoli)^[8] and to murder his mother, Lois, with mixed success at best depending on the objective. As made clear in the pilot episode, Stewie's matricidal tendencies are a result of Lois constantly (and unwittingly) thwarting his schemes, and so he desires to kill her to carry out his plans without her interference.

In other, recent episodes, Stewie engages in other violent or criminal acts, including robbery, owning firearms while underage, carjacking,^[9] loan sharking,^[10] forgery,^[11] and killing off many minor characters (with a tank, guns, and other assorted weaponry).^[12]

Stewie eventually realizes his dreams of matricide and world domination in the sixth season two-part episode "Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie." The events are reverted in a deus ex machina ending, where most of the story turns out to be a computer simulation. Because of the rather disastrous ending for himself in the simulation, being shot and killed by Peter, he decides to put aside his plans of matricide and world domination for the time being. However, at the end of the season nine premiere, "And Then There Were Fewer", when Diane Simmons is about to murder Lois for uncovering her murderous revenge scheme Stewie kills Diane with a sniper rifle, stating "If anyone's going to take that bitch [Lois] out, it's going to be me".

Despite his clearly sociopathic nature, Stewie does seem to have a softer side. In particular, he shares a kinship with Brian whom he considers an intellectual peer. For example, in "Chick Cancer," when Brian unwittingly makes a racist comment while the two of them are discussing Stewie's "marriage" to Olivia Fuller, Stewie is openly disgusted by it. When Brian profusely apologizes, Stewie leaves, saying, "You gotta work on that. Bad dog." In "Road to Rhode Island", Brian goes to find his mother and discovers that her dead body has been stuffed, Stewie says, "Someone must have said something funny, because your mother's in stitches!" After laughing for a few seconds, he tells Brian, "I'll leave you to grieve," before walking out of the room to give Brian some alone time with his mother. In "Jerome is the New Black", after Quagmire's rant leaves Brian in tears, Stewie cheers him up by saying he likes him and letting Brian spend the night in his room. Similarly, in "Dog Gone", when Brian sinks into a deep drunken depression upon discovering that humanity, including the Griffin family, has no regard for the lives of animals (including himself), Stewie steals his collar and plants it on a stray dog, proceeding to fake Brian's death by sending it into a liquor store and subsequently setting the store on fire, simultaneously forcing the other Griffins to realize just how much Brian mattered to them and cheering Brian up. In "Brian & Stewie", Stewie confesses that he loves Brian, not as a lover, but as a close friend.

Other instances of family kindness include his support for Meg (whom he traditionally calls "Megan") as when he chided Brian's coke-induced hostility to her ("The Thin White Line"), retracted his joke "I hate you too" when Meg said "I hate you all" to the family ("Untitled Griffin Family History"), and wiped her tears during a weepy moment. While Stewie generally regards Chris as a stooge, he has encouraged him, and even helped Chris to dress when he felt too shy to date ("Extra Large Medium"). In the episode "Stewie Loves Lois", it is shown that Stewie can love his mom, after she recovers Rupert, fixes him, and serves a meal he likes. When he becomes too dependent on her, she deliberately takes no notice of him; when he hurts himself she tries to show notice of him again, but he then goes back to his old ways. In a more recent episode "New Kidney in Town", he learns of Brian giving his kidneys to save Peter who is undergoing kidney surgery after he drinks too much of an energy drink. He dognaps Brian and tells him, "I won't let you give your life for the fat man." Brian responds, "You can live without a dog but you can't live without a father." Stewie starts crying, saying, "But Brian I don't want to lose anybody... I don't want to lose anybody." At this point he has mucus dripping from his nose and is hugging Brian.

In the more recent seasons, Stewie has a larger amount of freedom from his parents, which extends to the point of him being able to keep pigs from parallel universes or take part in the television series Jolly Farm, as compared to the first season, in which his plans were constantly hindered by Lois. In "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair", Stewie inadvertently clones an evil twin of himself after trying to increase his evil nature. By the end of the episode, it is suggested that the original Stewie may have been unknowingly killed by Brian when he cannot tell them apart and Stewie turns to the camera with glowing yellow eyes (reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Thriller"). But so far, the Stewie recently seen in "Trading Places", the follow-up episode, he still seems to have his mostly harmless eccentricity, shown when he asks Brian if he wants to trade places with him for fun.

Development[link]

Seth MacFarlane created and voices Stewie.

Stewie's voice is provided by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who also provides the voices of Brian Griffin, Peter Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire as well as numerous other characters.^[13] MacFarlane based Stewie's accent on the voice of English actor Rex Harrison,^[14] particularly on Harrison's performance in the 1964 musical drama film My Fair Lady.^[15] MacFarlane has also linked Stewie with David Hyde Pierce on more than one occasion, saying he wants Pierce to play Stewie if a live action version of the show would ever be created.^[16][17]

Stewie's head has the shape of an American football. In the episode "Stuck Together, Torn Apart", a flashback shows Stewie's head to be normally shaped, until he hit his head on the ceiling while bouncing on the bed, and it elongated into the familiar shape.^[18] Flashbacks in "Chitty Chitty Death Bang", however, show his head was already shaped like a football when he was born. The comic strip Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth also features an infant boy who has a football-shaped head with some hairs sticking out of it, talks in a very eloquent manner, fears his mother and constantly comes up with inventions to help him escape from her. The comic strip's creator, Chris Ware, started drawing Jimmy as early as in 1991. About the characters, he remarked, "[The similarities are] a little too coincidental to be simply, well, coincidental."^[19] He further stated, "I don't want a book of seven years' worth of my stuff to become available and then be accused of being a rip-off of Family Guy."^[19] 20th Century Fox insists that Stewie is an entirely original character.^[19] In a 2003 interview, MacFarlane stated that he had never seen the comic strip before, but the similarities are "pretty shocking".^[20]

Ambiguous sexuality[link]

Stewie's sexuality, even though he is a one-year-old, is deliberately ambiguous. When the writers began to flesh out Stewie's character beyond being a generic supervillain in season two, MacFarlane and the writers began to explore the infant's sexuality with a series of one-off gags, which hinted that Stewie could be gay. For example, in "Brian and Stewie" his cellphone screensaver is a muscular man, and another example is that he has a picture of Chris Noth in his wallet. On other occasions, such as when he fell in love with a girl, Janet, in "Dammit Janet!", Stewie has been shown to be straight. On the commentary of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, the writers describe how they were going to make Stewie discover he was gay,^{[citation needed]} but decided to scrap this idea in order to retain Stewie's sexual ambiguity for writing purposes. MacFarlane planned for the series' third season to end with Stewie coming out of the closet after a near-death experience. The show's abrupt cancellation caused MacFarlane to abort these plans, and the episode "Queer Is Stewie?" was actually produced, but never shown. Since that point, MacFarlane has opted to have Stewie portrayed as sexually ambiguous, as, in his eyes, the flexibility of Stewie's sexuality allows for much more freedom in terms of writing for the character. MacFarlane later elaborated:

"He originally began as a diabolical villain, but then we delved into the idea of his confused sexuality. We all feel that Stewie is almost certainly gay, and he’s in the process of figuring it out for himself. We haven’t ever really locked into it because we get a lot of good jokes from both sides, but we treat him oftentimes as if we were writing a gay character."

—Seth MacFarlane, "Big Gay Following", The Advocate interview^[16]

When asked why he made the decision "to take Stewie from homicidal maniac to gay little song boy," MacFarlane answered that, "It wasn't a conscious decision. Characters evolve in certain ways and we found that doing the take-over-the-world thing every week was getting played out and was starting to feel a little dated. It was weirdly feeling a little ‘90s and believe me, if we were still doing that, the show would be on its last legs. I only half-jokingly go by the guideline that, if it's something that might possibly ruin the show, it's a story we should probably do."^[21][22]

He also seems be attracted to Brian, the family dog. He has shown this in a number of episodes, one time was in the Family Guy movie, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story when Brian tells Stewie that he's drunk, to which Stewie responds "You're sexy". Also in the episode The Former Life of Brian when Stewie agrees to assist Brian in a magic show, Stewie says "You can split me in half" (meaning to say "saw me in half"). Also when Brian and Stewie have a bet in the episode McStroke, Stewie says they should "kiss on it" to seal the bet. Finally in the episode The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Stewie believes that he is dying of cancer and asks Brian to teach him to dance before he dies, while they are dancing Stewie whispers "I love you" whilst hugging Brian, to which Brian says "What?" and Stewie frantically claims that he said "olive juice".

In an interview with Playboy, MacFarlane stated, "We had an episode that went all the way to the script phase in which Stewie does come out. It had to do with the harassment he took from other kids at school. He ends up going back in time to prevent a passage in Leviticus from being written: ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is an abomination.’ But we decided it’s better to keep it vague, which makes more sense because he’s a one-year-old. Ultimately, Stewie will be gay or a very unhappy repressed heterosexual. It also explains why he’s so hellbent on killing [his mother, Lois] and taking over the world: he has a lot of aggression, which comes from confusion and uncertainty about his orientation."^[23]

Reception[link]

MacFarlane has been nominated for two awards for voicing Stewie; in 2006, he won a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.^[24] That same year he received an Annie Award in the Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television, Production category, for his voice work in the episode "Brian the Bachelor".^[25] In addition, Wizard magazine rated Stewie the 95th greatest villain of all time.^[26] Stewie was also named the best Family Guy character on a list of "Top 25 Family Guy Characters" compiled by IGN.^[27] In 2010, Entertainment Weekly placed him the 45th on their list of the "Top 100 Characters of the Past Twenty Years".^[28] Gay.com ranked Stewie as the fifteenth gayest cartoon character.^[29]

Hal Boedeker, a critic for The Orlando Sentinel called Stewie "a brilliant creation".^[30]

Merchandise and appearances in other media[link]

Stewie, the breakout character on the show, has become a merchandising icon. Alongside t-shirts, Stewie has been included in various other Family Guy-related merchandise, including air fresheners, baseball caps, bumper stickers, cardboard standups, refrigerator magnets, key rings, buttons, dolls, posters, figurines, clocks, soapstone carvings, Chia Pets, bowling balls and boxer shorts.

Stewie has appeared in the Family Guy Video Game!,^[31] where Stewie discovers Bertram attempting to outdo him in taking over the world. Desperate to stop him, Stewie shrinks himself and makes his way to Bertram's lair within Peter's testicles to discover his plan, destroys his henchman cloning lab, and rescues a kidnapped Rupert from a rocket. He finally confronts Bertram in the park, where Bertram turns himself into a giant.^[32] Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a DVD movie about Stewie's secret and what can possibly be his future.^[33]

Stewie has appeared in Bones,^[34] eventually revealed to be the result of FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth's (David Boreanaz) brain tumor. Seth MacFarlane wrote all of Stewie's dialog for the episode.^[35] The character appeared in a Coca-Cola^[36] commercial during Super Bowl XLII, he and Brian appeared in a commercial for Wheat Thins, he presented a musical number at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards with Brian, and he appeared at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.^[37][38] He was on The Late Show with David Letterman to present "Top Ten Things You Don't Want To Hear From Your Child."^[specify]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Stewie Griffin at Fox.com
• Stewie Griffin at the Internet Movie Database

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Stewie Griffin

Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón
Born	(1848-04-03)April 3, 1848 near Ninhue, Chile
Died	May 21, 1879(1879-05-21) (aged 31) Iquique, Peru
Rank	Commander
Commands held	Esmeralda
Battles/wars	Chincha Islands War *Battle of Papudo *Battle of Abtao War of the Pacific *Naval Battle of Iquique

Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (April 3, 1848, near Ninhue, Chile – May 21, 1879, Iquique, Peru) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed shortly after boarding the Peruvian armored monitor Huáscar at the Naval Battle of Iquique after the ship under his command, the Esmeralda, was rammed by the Peruvian monitor. Prat, as captain of the Esmeralda, was the first to board the Huáscar.

During his career, Prat had taken part in several major naval engagements, including battles at Papudo (a coastal city north of Valparaíso) (1865), and at the Battle of Abtao (1866), at the islet of Abtao across from Chiloé Island. Following his death, his name became a rallying cry for Chilean forces, and Arturo Prat has since been considered a national hero.

Prat's name is commemorated on numerous plazas (squares), streets, buildings and other structures in Chile. His name has been commemorated by four of Chile's major warships, including a USS Brooklyn class cruiser in the 1950s, a British County class destroyer from 1983 to 2006, and most recently a Dutch Jacob van Heemskerck class frigate transferred to Chile as Capitan Prat in 2006. One of Chile's Antarctic research facilities, Arturo Prat Station, and the Chilean Naval Academy, Escuela Naval Arturo Prat are named after him. His portrait appears on the 10,000 Chilean peso bank note. Also, in 1984 was created Arturo Prat University, with its main campus in Iquique where his heroic deed took place.

Early life[link]

Prat, the fourth (and only surviving) son of Agustín Prat del Barril and Rosario Chacón Barrios, was born at the San Agustín de Puñual Hacienda in south-central Chile on April 3, 1848. The name Prat is of Catalan origin (not to be confused with the English 'Pratt'). He entered the Naval Academy on August 28, 1858 at the age of 10 years thanks to one of the scholarships created by President Manuel Montt Torres. There were two scholarships per province: one for Arauco went to Prat, and the other went to Luis Uribe. Both had the same benefactor, Don Jacinto Chacón (uncle of Arturo and stepfather of Uribe), resulting in the two youths considering each other as brothers.

At the time, the academy was directed by Frenchman Juan Julio Feillet and was backed by another Frenchman, Don Anatolio Desmadryl. Young Arturo and his friend Luis were part of the so-called "class of the heroes" including, among others, Carlos Condell de la Haza, Juan José Latorre and Jorge Montt Álvarez.

During his first year, Prat was often distracted and struggled in his studies, especially mathematics. Nevertheless, just as he had in his previous school, he overcame these difficulties and went on to win a silver medal for his accomplishments.

In 1859, his second year as a cadet, he commenced a nautical apprenticeship – a requirement for second-year students. His first voyage of training was completed in the steamer Independencia, with sail and rigging maneuvers, followed later by practice in seamanship and artillery.

In January 1860, Arturo Prat boarded, for the first time, the "Esmeralda", the ship which would be the scene of his glory. His nautical apprenticeship continued: embarkation and disembarkation, combat simulation, etc. In July 1861, he left the Naval Academy as "primera antigüedad" (the most distinguished in the course). He obtained the grade of "midshipman without examination".

During this period, Prat distinguished himself in an incident involving the Infernal, a French ship that was carrying explosive materials. On October 1, 1861, it (fittingly) caught on fire while in the Bay of Valparaíso. The Esmeralda, which was nearby, sent boats to save the wreck, one of which was steered by Arturo Prat, who would struggle for two hours against the fire.

War with Spain[link]

On July 21, 1864, Prat passed with flying colors the theoretical and practical test needed to be promoted from "midshipman without exam" to "examined midshipman". That year saw the incidents that resulted in the war against Spain, inflamed by the Chilean attitude towards the occupation of the Peruvian Chincha Islands by a Spanish squadron. The resulting war that was declared would prove to be a baptism of fire for Prat and his classmates.

Commanding the Esmeralda at the time was Juan Williams Rebolledo, who planned the recovery of the Chilean steamer Matías Cousiño and the capture of the Spanish schooner Covadonga. The naval battle of Papudo occurred on December 26 and rapidly went the way of the Chilean force which was superior in firepower and was able to capture the defeated ship. The capture of the Covadonga resulted in the promotion by one grade of all sailors participating in the battle, converting Prat into an ensign (equivalent to a second lieutenant in the army).

Wishing to offset their losses at Papudo, the Spanish fleet sought another confrontation with the allied navies (Peru and Ecuador added to Chile's side). Their desire for vengeance was fulfilled at Chiloé in the battle of Abtao on February 7, 1866. Artillery combat occurred only between the Covadonga and the Spanish ships Villa de Madrid and Blanca, as the other allied ships were unused due to a lack of coal and the rocky estuary. Prat then served on the Covadonga, the ship which luckily resisted the Spanish bombardment. There were no losses on the allied side, while the Spanish suffered two deaths.

Young officer[link]

After the war, Prat completed a large number of sea voyages, both inside and outside his country, including voyages to the Juan Fernández Islands, Easter Island (on the corvette "Esmeralda" under Policarpo Toro's command), Magallanes and Peru. During the latter trip in 1868, he was responsible for transporting aid to those affected by that year's earthquake, and he later brought back the remains of Bernardo O'Higgins, at the orders of Manuel Blanco Encalada.

Prat was promoted to a Lieutenant on September 9. The future hero returned to Naval School, but this time as an instructor. From 1871, he was the Second Commander of the Esmeralda, leading to his appointment to several positions in the school (teacher, subdirector, internal director), and was assigned to teach courses such as Naval Order, Law, Naval Tactics and Cosmography. Additionally, he was responsible for docking the corvette for four years (1871–1874) in the port of Mejillones. He received the title of Graduated Corvette Captain (equivalent to Lieutenant Commander) in 1873 and Capitán de Corbeta Efectivo in 1874. He was a dedicated teacher who fought against the lack of resources available to provide quality education. He himself translated textbooks from French to Spanish.

Around that time, Prat faced an unusual situation. On May 24, 1875, the Esmeralda was in the port of Valparaíso while Prat was on sick leave. The commander of the ship, Luis Alfredo Lynch, was also on leave so Lieutenant Constantino Bannen was left in charge. A storm began in the bay and the Valdivia broke its ties and went right towards the Esmeralda, which then impacted with the Maipo. It appeared that the destruction of the Esmeralda would be unavoidable. When Prat and Lynch returned, they managed to get transported back to the ship by boat, but the violent waves kept them from embarking. Arturo Prat threw himself into the water and swam to the ship to climb a rope (as Lynch had done just before him). He worked feverishly with a rope tied from his waist to the mast to accomplish rescue maneuvers resulting in the ship stopping with its bow against the beach and securing it there with riggings. Luis Alfredo Lynch would later remember Prat's "unflappable calm in the face of danger".

The reparation of the Esmeralda was long and hard and cost 100,000 pesos. Lynch had to face charges of dereliction of duty, however he was saved by a tie in the voting. Throughout the trial, Arturo Prat was always faithful to his superior, helping him however he could.

After the tests of May 1876 and only three years before the War of the Pacific, the Chilean government closed the Naval School explaining that Chile no longer needed naval officers.

Prat, who left Condell in charge of the Esmeralda, disembarked and, because of his studies in law, was named helper of the Maritime Government of Valparaíso. It was December 1876, he was already a graduated commander, but he would only return to the ship of his destiny once the war started.

Prat as a lawyer[link]

The studies[link]

Naval Battle of Iquique

In 1870, Prat began the path of becoming a lawyer. Prat had always had an interest in law and therefore decided to pursue his law degree. He entered as a secondary student in Humanities at the Liceo de Valparaíso and the National Institute (Instituto Nacional). In 1871, he received his diploma in Philosophy and Humanities — a prerequisite for studying law. One of his examiners was the renowned Chilean historian Diego Barros Arana.

In the following year, he began his studies in Property Law in the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile. He studied on board the "Esmeralda", which was located in Mejillones. Upon returning from his mission, he requested to take his examinations in Valparaíso where he passed the required subjects.

In 1875, he began practicing law at a law firm in the port town as a prerequisite to receiving his license.

In July of the following year, Prat passed his remaining courses and was then ready to complete his licensing. In order to graduate, he was required to pass an examination on a randomly-chosen area of law. He was assigned Roman Law, which he managed to pass between 24–26 July 1876, while his thesis "Observaciones sobre la ley electoral vigente" (Observations on the current electoral law) was approved. There remained one final step before receiving his license — a final exam before the judges of the Supreme Court.

On 31 July 1876, at 11 a.m., the lieutenant commander passed through the corridors of Supreme Court of Justice in full dress uniform wearing his sword at his belt; he had come to take his examination before the highest judges, the final requirement to practise law. However, much to his surprise, Prat was told that the judges had decided not to hear examinations that day. Prat that he had an appointment for that day, that he had very little free time as a naval officer, and requested a meeting with Manuel Montt Torres, the Supreme Court president. Having convinced Montt to receive him, and to much applause from the court, Prat went on to become a lawyer at the age of 28.

Prior to his final exam, Prat had already conducted legal work while defending the engineer Ricardo Owen, accused of disobedience, and also his friend and classmate Luis Uribe, accused of disobedience and contempt to his superiors. He succeeded the first time, but he was not so successful with the defence of his friend, who was condemned to six months of jail by six votes. The amnesty of the President saved Uribe and his naval career from that fate.

Jurist[link]

Prat practised his recently adopted profession for a very short time. He primarily devoted himself to resolving the legal problems of the Chacón and Carvajal families, as well as naval-related problems.

He aspired to be a Navy auditor, but he was only sworn as "assistant" (mainly because of his lack of experience), assigned the legal aspects of the Navy General Command. Prat performed a complete remodeling of the army's legal system, starting with the Navigation Law. He presented 152 modifications to it, many of which were approved. He was also in charge of the regularization of the promotion system, proposing changes to avoid social relations, politics and other factors, making it a merit and seniority based system. Prat died without this navy code having been published.

[edit] "Observaciones a la ley electoral vigente"

This was Arturo Prat's thesis book, which contained many clues about his political thoughts. It was written within the framework of the promulgation of the new electoral law during Federico Errázuriz Zañartu's government, in which the Greater Taxpayer Institution and Parliament Member Cumulative Vote were established.

Prat analyzes this law with the perspective that it would make possible further progress towards electoral freedom. He points out the contradictions and obscurity of the text, but he stresses that it is an "eminently liberal" law. Prat ends saying: ...deep-down a good law, it needs serious and important reforms with respect to regulations if it is to achieve the lofty objective it is destined to: to be the effective guarantee that the voting result is the happy expression of the national will."

The text reveals Prat's political ideas, clearly reflecting the common liberalism of the times, and demonstrates a great naivety (not even with all of its indications could the law prevent the intervention of the executive power.)

Family man[link]

Engagement and matrimony[link]

Don Pedro Chacón used to throw parties in his portside house once or twice a week. Prat frequently attended, as did Concepción Chacón's sister-in-law, Carmela Carvajal. In those happy get-togethers the couple met and fell in love, a love that would last a lifetime.

In the voyage of repatriation of O'Higgins mortal remains from Peru, Prat brought presents for Carmela: a sewing box, a fan, a silver cross, and an ivory card holder.

Their attraction was obvious, but Prat was concerned when others mentioned it. In addition to his shyness, he was annoyed because he was afraid to formalize an engagement because he had no money to support the marriage.

When he learned that he would be promoted to Corvette Captain, he finally decided to ask for Carmela's hand, in 1873. The only love letter from Prat to his fiancée that has survived is dated shortly after:

My Carmela, my life, my treasure, I have to tell you, that I adore you every day more fervently, I cannot do it now because I am afraid I could fall ill. Receive the passionate heart of your Arturo.

On 5 May 1873 the wedding bells sounded over the San Agustín de Valparaíso church. A beautiful red carpet was laid, over which the radiant 22-year-old bride passed on her way to the altar. Her parents had died when she was a girl, and she had been raised by her siblings, through whom she had contact with the Chacón family. The Chacóns adopted her as a member of the family. Tall, slender and beautiful, she met with a sturdy Arturo Prat, with large forehead due to his baldness, thick beard and steady step. The minister, José Francisco Salas, blessed them at 10:30 am. They were man and wife.

Their relationship as spouses was based on a love that did not fade during the six years they lived together. Prat treated his wife as an equal, as a partner (something really rare in that society), putting her in charge of the family budget; and he, on the other hand, helped with some house chores: "At every moment I seem to find you exhausted from rocking our daughter, without me being next to you and sharing, albeit a bit, your labors...".

First happiness and first tragedy[link]

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Quillota and in the Cauquenes's hot springs. After that, Prat returned to Valparaíso to resume his navy duties. He did not see his wife again until October.

By that time Carmela was already pregnant with their first daughter. Prat wrote of his daughter's birth:

The fifth of march Carmela de la Concepción was born at 9:35 a.m., under the circumstances that I had to go to Santiago just the day before... The fifth of April she was baptised in the Church of the Holy Spirit, the godparents being Conchita with José Jesús...

It seems to me that she was to be very vivacious, smiling, playful... Last night I dreamt about her and she seemed to know me and with her little face a bit sad, she extended her little arms to hug me...

But like Prat's older brothers who died very young, the girl inherited a very frail and sickly build. Arturo writes to Carmela: "Keep using homeopathy for my little daughter and inform me after she is healthy." He has, undoubtedly, the hope that the method that (he supposed) cured his weak condition, would work the same wonders in little Carmela. But it didn't work, the child's life was extinguishing more and more every day, to the despair of the helpless parents, who put all their strengths in their prayers.

Poor little angel! I cannot see her any more, at least I want her to be healthy.

Carmelita's problem was a hernia caused by the badly removed umbilical cord, in addition to several other illnesses (diarrhea, fever, etc.)

Adding to Prat's despair, at the end of the annual season, he had to be transferred to the center of the country, on the Abtao, a steamer that should have arrived but had not. On Sunday 13 December the boat finally arrived, and he wrote to his wife: "Later then I will be seeing you, as I will see my little child who I hope is completely healthy..." But the girl had died one week before on 5 December. At dusk, a devastating letter arrived from his wife: "My beloved Arturo, our dear little angel is still not well; I feel my heart fainting from pain and you are not here to hold me... If it were possible for you to come, that would be my only comfort. Don't despair my wellbeing, think of your unhappy Carmela." Adding to Prat's desperation, the steamboat would not leave until the 18th.

All his hopes were destroyed in that trip, days later, when he was given a condolence letter in an intermediate port, signed by Juan José Latorre. Arturo wrote at the foot of Carmela's previous letter: "The 5 December, at past 1 hour and 3 minutes after midnight, my daughter Carmela de la Concepción died. This is the letter destined to announce it to me. The sadness it reveals should have made me see, but hope is so sweet."

War of the Pacific[link]

Heroes of Iquique monument and crypt in Valparaíso, Chile. At the top is the statue of Prat, on the second level statues of Serrano, Riquelme, Aldea and a generic seaman.

When the war broke out, Prat was assigned to assistant of the Navy General Command, a position he tried to reject.

When Don Rafael Sotomayor Baeza was required to go to Antofagasta with instructions from the Government, he requested an assistant, and Prat was assigned to the job. Being both of them aboard the armored Blanco Encalada, he was assigned to notify Iquique's authorities that they have been blocked by the Chilean army, which he did without letting the hostile position of the people daunt him.

He was assigned Covadonga's command. On 3 May the corvette Abtao, under lieutenant commander Carlos Condell de la Haza's command, and the Covadonga, under Prat's command, set sail towards Iquique arriving on 10 May.

To achieve the plan that Admiral Juan Williams Rebolledo had conceived, consisting of attacking the Peruvian squadron in El Callao's port, he assigned as Abtao's commander Manuel Thompson, who commanded the corvette Esmeralda until then. Arturo Prat replaced him, and Carlos Condell de la Haza was designated Covadonga's commander.

On 16 May, the squadron set sail to Callao Port, with the intention of surprising the Peruvian warships, but the same day Peruvian monitor Huáscar and armored frigate Independencia set sail from that port, towards Arica, to carry reinforcements, armaments, ammunition and provisions, so both squadrons missed each other on their trips.

Battle of Iquique[link]

It was 21 May 1879, 6:30 in the morning, when the fog cleared, Covadonga's lookout shouted: "Smoke to the north!". But, owing to thick marine fog, they were not able to identify the newly arrived ships, but after a few moments they thought it was the Peruvian squadron coming back.

At 6:45 a.m., a sailor by Condell's side asked for the telescope, and in a moment of clarity he observed the warships' rigging and said to Condell: "It's the Huáscar and the Independencia". "What basis do you have to assert that?" asked Condell, and the sailor answered "From the shape of the platform on top of the foremast".

Immediately Condell ordered a shot to be fired in the air to warn the Esmeralda, still anchored in the port. The ships were indeed the Independencia and the Huáscar.

In that same moment, the Peruvian admiral Grau roused his crew: "Crewmembers and Sailors of the Huáscar, Iquique is at sight, there are our afflicted fellow countrymen from Tarapacá, and also the enemy, still unpunished. It's time to punish them! I hope you will know how. Remember how our forces distinguished in Junin, the 2nd of May, Abtao, Ayachucho and other battlefields, to win us our glorious and dignified independence, and our consecrated and brilliant laurels of freedom, and as Commandant of the Navy will never let Peru be defeated. For our fatherland, Long Live Peru!"

Carlos Condell de la Haza warned Prat, and he, seeing the difference between their forces and the enemies', pronounced his famous impassioned speech in front of his brothers in arms:

Lads, the battle will be unfair, but, cheer and have courage. Never has our flag been hauled down before the enemy and I hope this will not be the occasion for it to happen. From my part, I assure you that as long as I live, this flag will blow in its place, and if I die, my officers will know how to fulfill their duties. Long Live Chile!

After this, a bugler sounded the call to stations, and all went to the ship's guns and stern armed and ready.

The Esmeralda was an old wooden corvette weighing 850 tons and 200 horsepower, with eight 40-pound cannons, four 30-pounders and two of 6 pounds. When the action began, Prat ordered Condell to follow his course and the Covadonga met with the Esmeralda and the La Mar in the middle of the bay.

At 8:15, the first volley hit between the ships, and Prat ordered the Esmeralda to start moving, followed by the Covadonga. At 8:25 a second volley fell and a shot from the Huáscar hit fully on the starboard (right) side, passed through Esmeralda's side, killing the surgeon Videla, beheading his assistant, and mortally wounding another sailor.

The transporter Lamar hoisted the US flag and fled to the South, and Condell changed his course and went behind that ship. Grau ordered the Independencia to block Covadonga and Lamar's way. Prat observed Condell's action and asked himself: "What is Condell doing?" Condell ignored Prat's order and followed the Lamar, but the warship did get away from the Covadonga, and the Independencia under control of Juan Guillermo Moore followed him. On the other hand, the monitor Huáscar weighed 1,130 tons and had armour plating 4½-inches thick, with two 300-pound cannon in a revolving turret and 11 knots maximum speed.

Death of Arturo Prat.

The Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario, Huáscar's captain directed the Independencia to chase the Covadonga, while he finished the Esmeralda. Prat went down to his cabin, dressed in his parade uniform, and put away his wife's picture and other mementoes and returned to the command post. Prat quickly positioned the ship in front of the coast, 200 meters from it, forcing the Huáscar to shoot with a parabolic trajectory to avoid hitting the Peruvian village, whose people gathered in crowds to see the battle. (This had been an important factor in the escape of the Huáscar, then in Peruvian rebel hands, from Admiral de Horsey's British squadron consisting of HMS Shah and HMS Amazon, off Ilo two years earlier in 1877.)

General Buendía, commander of the Peruvian garrison of Iquique, had artillery cannons placed on the beach and sent an emissary in a fast rowing boat with a warning to the Huáscar that the Esmeralda was loaded with torpedoes. (Again, these had been used by Admiral de Horsey off Iquique in 1877.) Grau stopped 600m (660 yd.) from her and began shooting with the 300-pound cannons, not hitting her for an hour and a half, owing to the Peruvian sailors' inexperience in the handling of the monitor's Coles turret. The Chilean crew answered with their 30-pound cannons and gunfire, shots that rebounded uselessly from the Huáscar's plated armour.

At the coast, the Peruvian Army garrison in the town installed a 9-pound-cannon battery manned by gunners and bombardiers, and began to bomb the Chilean ship. A grenade reached her, killing three men. Prat order the warship to move, slowly maneuvering at scarcely 4 knots, for her engine was defective and one the boilers had burst. He stopped 1,000  from the city and 250 m from land, where they would stand until their sinking. This move allowed Grau to see the absence of the torpedoes that supposedly filled the Esmeralda. One of Huáscar's shots hit directly on board, beheading the ordering bugler and mutilating the gun crews. The decks were stained with the blood of the fallen.

Arturo Prat on a Chilean stamp of 1948

The position of the Esmeralda was desperate when it began to receive both Huáscar and Iquique's beach's cannon shots. Even Grau from his armoured tower exclaimed: "It's remarkable how these Chileans fight", impressed by the courage shown by the enemy.

At 11:30am, Admiral Grau, seeing the useless slaughter that was taking place in the dismantled and disgraced corvette and wanting to end the combat, which had been nearly 4 hours long until that moment, ordered his ship to ram into the Esmeralda. The monitor backed to get enough impulse and charged bow-first into starboard side of the ship. When Prat saw the enemy warship colliding into his, near the stern, he raised his sword and cried his final order: "Let's board, boys!", but due to the roar of the battle, only Petty Officer Juan de Dios Aldea and Seaman Arsenio Canave heard it, and both of them and Prat jumped aboard the other ship. Arsenio unfortunately slipped and fell down because of the impact, so only the two officers got to the monitor. Petty Officer Aldea, by then armed with a boarding hatchet and a pistol, received a burst from the artillery tower and fell mortally injured. Only Prat continued advancing, amazing the Peruvian crew with his tremendous courage. Grau gave the order to capture the Chilean captain alive.

Prat got to the enemy's deck and advanced towards to command tower, but he was hit by a bullet. Nevertheless he did not fall and could stand on his knee, but a sailor from the artillery tower struck him dead with a shot in the forehead with a rifle.

Sinking of the Esmeralda.

From the Esmeralda they saw with horror their captain's sacrifice, and when Grau tried another charge, now against the Esmeralda's bow, Sublieutenant Ignacio Serrano cried again "Stand by for boarding!" and he boarded the Huáscar with ten more men, armed with manchetes and rifles but they were massacred by shots from the mounted Gatling guns and the monitor's crew. (The second landing was authorized by the ship's acting captain, Lt. Luis Uribe, who was one of Prat's long time friends.) Some of the crew who boarded died on the Huáscar's deck from bullet wounds sustained. Ignacio Serrano was then the only survivor and had received several wounds in the groin, and his shouts were terrible due to the pain. Grau quickly had him picked up and carried to the infirmary in a state of shock, where they left him next to the dying petty officer Aldea.

A third ram, this time into the middle of the Esmeralda, was fatal and sentenced the ship to death. Nobody else could jump to the other ship, as the Esmeralda was already sinking. The last cannon shot was fired by Midshipman Ernesto Riquelme, while the main deck was going underwater. Grau and the Huáscar crew by then also heard shouts of "Long Live Chile! Glory and Victory!" from the ship's sailors. The Chilean flag was the last part of the warship to go underwater, still flying. It was 12.10 pm at midday. Grau expressed grief for Prat's death and paid his respects at his own cabin.

After the battle, Admiral Grau gave orders that Prat's personal objects (diary, uniform and sword among others) were to be returned to his widow. Carmela Carvajal received them, as well as an attached letter from the Peruvian Admiral, affirming his rival's personal qualities, his gentility and his high moral values. Grau was later named "The Gentleman of the Seas" for this and other reasons.

Grau also ordered the rescue of the surviving Chilean sailors, by then led by the ship's second in command and acting captain, Lt. Uribe, immediately after they repaired their boats, and gave them dry clothes and food. He kept them in the stern hold, because if they went back to the beach, the crowd (mainly Peruvian), together with some Peruvian soldiers stationed there, would certainly kill them. He then transferred the survivors to another ship in order not to be hurt by Iquique's Peruvian residents.

In the confrontation of Iquique, that day Chile lost an old wooden ship, but Prat's death allowed the mobilization of the Chilean population to support the war, and that would be one of the factors of the Chilean victory in the War of the Pacific, the most important being the superiority of the Chilean fleet in the Pacific.

Trivia[link]

• "Arturo Prat" is the most ubiquitous street name across Chile. There are 162 communes in Chile which have a street bearing his name, outnumbering "Manuel Rodríguez" (158), "Gabriela Mistral" (134) and "Lautaro" (116).^[1]

References[link]

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Spanish-language Wikipedia article (retrieved January, 2006). The following references are cited by that Spanish-language article:

• Gonzalo Bulnes, "Guerra del Pacífico", three volumes, Sociedad Imprenta Litografía Universo, Valparaíso, 1911.
• Gonzalo Vial Correa, "Arturo Prat", Editorial Andrés Bello, Santiago, 1995
• Bernardo Vicuña, Biografía completa de Arturo Prat, Valparaíso : Impr. del Mercurio, 1879.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Arturo Prat

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Arturo Prat

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External links[link]

• Arturo Prat University (In Spanish)
• "Arturo Prat" Naval Academy (In Spanish)
• Chilean Navy - Arturo Prat, Chile's Greatest Hero
• Brief History of the school Arturo Prat (In Spanish)