Chilean Navy Day is celebrated across Chile on the 21st of May each year, commemorating the legendary bravery of Captain Arturo Prat and the crew of the Esmeralda at the Battle of Iquique in 1879.
For 2020, Canning House, in collaboration with the Embassy of Chile, are pleased to present an event honouring this day. Our esteemed speakers discussed the history of the Chilean Navy and the significance of the 21st of May, and reflected upon the centuries-long relationship shared by the British and Chilean naval forces.
We heard from...
Lord Mountevans, Canning House Honorary President
HE Ambassador David Gallagher, Ambassador of Chile to the UK
HE Ambassador Jamie Bowden, British Ambassador to Chile
Captain Daniel Muñoz, Defence Attaché, Embassy of Chile
Admiral Tony Radakin CB ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Navy, delivers a message to mark the first virtual Chilean Navy Day, celebrating the historic and enduring relationship between the British and Chilean Navies.
In March 2019, Admiral Julio Leiva, Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy, visited the UK, attending a ceremony at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth for the renaming of the former Lancelot Building to the Cochrane Building.
The building was renamed in honour of Admiral Thomas Cochrane who led the Chilean Navy to victory during the Chilean War of Independence. On 29 March 2019, the Chilean Navy celebrated its 200th anniversary.
We are pleased to exhibit a selection of photographs from his visit:
Admiral Julio Leiva (r) and Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB ADC RN, then First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, in front of the plaque for the renaming of the Lancelot Building to the Cochrane Building at HMNB Portsmouth.
Admiral Julio Leiva, Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy
Pictured: Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB ADC RN (left), HE Ambassador David Gallagher (right of centre), Admiral Julio Leiva (right)
For more information, visit the Royal Navy website
These photographs are sourced from the Royal Navy and displayed here under Open Government License.
On 21 May 2020, Chilean Navy Day was commemorated virtually for the first time. In previous years, the occasion has been marked with a ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
We are pleased to present photos from Chilean Navy Day 2019:
The Chilean Navy Day wreath laying ceremony in Westminster Abbey, 21 May 2019.
Chilean Navy Day 2019 reception at Church House.
Pictured, left-right: Captain José Miguel Hernández, Vice Admiral Cristián de la Maza, HE Ambassador David Gallagher, Captain Daniel Muñoz
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