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The Historic Ships at Vapor-Cué

Posted on by Eduardo / 2 Comments
Historic flag from ARP Piraveve

The inscription at the flag says:
“This flag was the last one to wave on the Yhaguy River, on the boat Pirabebe. One of the sailors was Hermenegildo Almirón, who gave this to Mr. José Asunción Rolón.

August 18, 1869”

I’m back at the helm after a quick vacation trip. I visited the historic site of Vapor-Cué (“Old Steamboats’ Place), a site near the town of Caraguatay, where the last seven units of the Paraguayan Navy (including a small warship) were ran aground by Paraguayan sailors so they couldn’t fall into the hands of the Brazilian forces in 1869, during the final skirmishes of the Triple Alliance War that Paraguay fought to the bitter end against the combined armies of Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina (1864-1870).

I’ll try to post some photos. Click on them to see a larger version.

Warship ARP Anhambay, captured from Brazil.
Warship ARP Anhambay, captured from Brazil, rebuilt.
ARP Pirabebe, rebuilt. Use the small gate at the fence for scaling.
ARP Pirabebe, rebuilt. Use the small gate at the fence for scaling.
The Memorial at Vapor-Cué
The Memorial at Vapor-Cué
The Manduvirá River (rather a tiny brook) from the ARP Anhambay. I took the pic from abeam, looking at the port side.
The Manduvirá River (rather a tiny brook) from the ARP Anhambay. I took the pic from the centerline, looking at the port side.
ARP Añambay's fore. This was a huge ship!
ARP Añambay's fore. This was a huge ship!
The historic museum at Vapor-Cué. It is very small, but adequate. My car can be seen at the right.
The historic museum at Vapor-Cué. It is very small, but adequate. My car can be seen at the right.
Boilers and other remains of the ships at Vapor-Cué. At the right there is a memorial with inscriptions.
Boilers and other remains of the ships at Vapor-Cué. At the right there is a memorial with inscriptions.
A view of the gardens at the hotel near Vapor-Cué, looking toward the swimming pool. The price, roughly USD $15 for a double room (but no meals at all, not even breakfast) was right.
A view of the gardens at the hotel near Vapor-Cué, looking toward the swimming pool. The price, roughly USD $15 for a double room (but no meals at all, not even breakfast) was right.

After spending three days at Vapor-Cué, we went to the town of Piribebuy for some additional rest. All in all, we are thankful for this trip.

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Eduardo

2 Comments

  2. Well, this is in summary: The place is about 99 km (61.5 land miles) in a straight line to the main course of the Paraguay River, which is the only water course that could be called ‘navigable’. However, the Paraguayan sailors took the ships over the course of the Manduvirá River (a tiny tributary of the Paraguay River), and then over the Yhaguy Brook (an even tinier tributary of the Manduvirá River). The length of such water course is 121 km (roughly 75.2 miles).

    Taking those massive vessels over a small, tiny brook, is an astounding feat of seamanship, indeed.

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