Being the flagship of the Chilean armada,
Blanco Encalada actively participated in the War of the Pacific. The frigate's first actions, under the command of Admiral
Juan Williams Rebolledo, consisted of taking part in the
blockade of Iquique and in the failed expedition to the port of
Callao. Afterward,
Blanco Encalada tried, unsuccessfully, to hunt the Peruvian monitor
Huáscar. Williams’ inability to put an end to what became known as the "Huáscar Raids" finally motivated him to resign his command. The failure of a decisive victory against the monitor was primarily owed to the bad state of the engines and boilers of
Blanco Encalada and the skill of the commander of the Peruvian ship,
Miguel Grau Seminario. Command passed to Commander‐in‐Chief
Galvarino Riveros Cárdenas, who ordered the fleet to regroup and carry out repairs on
Blanco Encalada and her consorts. For this purpose,
Blanco Encalada was anchored in
Mejillones to make repairs to the engine using the workshops of the Salitres de Antofagasta Company. The hull was cleaned using divers brought from
Valparaíso. The success of the repairs, which were finished at the end of September, was limited however. The ship could achieve, in a test voyage, a speed of only . After the repairs,
Blanco Enclada participated in the
Battle of Angamos where the Chilean fleet finally captured
Huáscar on 8 October 1879. The last action in which
Blanco Encalada participated was the capture, in the close quarters of
Mollendo, of the gunboat on 18 November. ==Sinking==