Independencia was an broadside ironclad built in England for the Peruvian Navy

Peruvian Navy

The Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...

 during the mid-1860s. Independencia and Huáscar

Huáscar (ship)

Huáscar is a 19th century small armoured turret ship of a type similar to a monitor. She was built in Britain for Peru and played a significant role in the battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific against Chile before being captured and commissioned with the Chilean Navy. Today she is one of...

 where the two main ships of the Peruvian Navy at the start of the War of the Pacific

War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...

 with Chile. Independencia ran aground while pursuing Covadonga during the naval battle of Punta Gruesa

Battle of Punta Gruesa

The Battle of Punta Gruesa took place on May 21, 1879 during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources as a separate battle.-Context:...

on 21 May 1879. When the Chileans in Covadonga realized that Independencia had run aground they returned to bombard it causing many deaths. When Huáscar appeared Covadonga fled. The Peruvian survivors were rescued by Huáscar and the remains of the ship set afire to prevent its capture.