Early life Robert Simpson was born in
Hampshire, arriving in
Spanish Chile as a midshipman on the sloop
Rose under command of
Lord Cochrane, who was involved in the formation of the
Chilean Navy during the
Chilean War of Independence. By 1821, Simpson was already a second lieutenant in the Chilean Navy, and in the same year during the
Peruvian War of Independence he participated in the capture of the Spanish ships
Resolución,
San Fernando and
Milagro in
Callao, being promoted to captain on 7 October 1821. Admiral Cochrane gave Simpson command of the , ordered him to
Acapulco to harass Spanish shipping, and from there move on to California to purchase supplies. While in port, a British officer convinced the foreign crew to take over the ship and leave for Australia, leaving Simpson behind. Back in Chile in 1824, Simpson was given the command of the
Voltaire, and together with the under the command of Captain Cobbet maintained the blockade of the
Chiloé Archipelago for 4 months. In 1825, he participated in another blockade of Callao under Admiral
Manuel Blanco Encalada. Simpson participated actively in all the naval encounters of the war of independence in Chile and Peru between 1825 and 1826. When the Chilean fleet was dispersed in 1826, Simpson went into the reserve and took command of the Peruvian ship
Congreso. In 1827, he took command of a Mexican ship also named
Congreso. He finally returned to Chile in 1829 and named the Naval Governor of
Coquimbo. From 1830 to 1836, Simpson commanded the
Aquiles and in December 1834 became the first Chilean
hydrographer.
War of the Confederation At the time of the
War of the Confederation in 1836, Simpson was in command of the
Valparaíso, the flagship of Admiral Encalada. On 26 January 1837, he was named commander of the
Aquiles, and his first mission was to notify the government of the
Peru-Bolivian Confederation of the Chilean government's repudiation of the Treaty of Paucarpata. Later, he cruised the Peruvian coast and was in charge of disturbing their commerce, and captured the
Confederación, taking its command. On 12 January 1839, while the Chilean squadron under his command was at
Casma taking provisions, the
Confederación was attacked by the Confederate fleet under the command of the French sailor Juan Blanchet. At the naval
Battle of Casma, the Chileans had a resounding victory when during the battle Blanchet was killed and the Confederate ship
Arequipeño was sunk, but not before the Chilean fleet had been badly battered. Nonetheless, the defeat of the Confederate fleet at Casma by the smaller Chilean squadron left Chile in absolute control of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Simpson was promoted to commodore on 8 May 1839.
Later life After the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation at the
Battle of Yungay in 1839, Simpson returned to Chile along with the fleet. Between 1840 and 1852, he had a long and varied career in the Chilean Navy, rising as high as becoming
General Commander of the Navy twice. In 1848, he was in command of the , a frigate used as Chile's training ship where he had
Francisco Hudson as a subordinate. On 15 January 1852, Simpson adopted Chilean nationality and was elected
Senator. That year he travelled to England to supervise the construction of the , becoming its first commander upon completion. In 1853, he became a rear admiral and continued his naval career until 1871, when he retired after 53 years in the Chilean Navy. Simpson died in
Valparaíso on 23 December 1877. == Personal life ==