The Chilean cruiser Chacabuco was a protected cruiser of the Chilean Navy. Built at the end of the 19th Century, the Chacabuco had a remarkably long and varied career spanning nearly half a century.
During her lengthy career the Chacabuco performed numerous tasks: apart from routine patrol and hydrographic duties, she was notable for her role in maintaining order in the aftermath of the 1906 Valparaíso earthquake; her involvement in the Santa María School massacre in 1907;[1]: 340 her visit to Britain for the fleet review to mark the coronation of King George V in 1911; and her relief effort to the victims of the 1922 Vallenar earthquake. The Chacabuco was put into reserve in 1928.
In 1941, as Chile strove to maintain its neutrality during World War II, the Chacabuco was brought out of reserve despite her age: by then there were no other cruisers available to the Chilean Navy. She underwent modernization, with her armament changed to six 6 inch/50 guns and ten 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. Thereafter she served as the flagship of the Chilean Navy on several occasions, before becoming a midshipmen training cruiser from 1949 to 1950.
The Chacabuco went out of service in December 1950; she was struck on 15 December 1959, and was sold to the Compañía de Acero del Pacífico for scrapping.
