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Miguel Grau Seminario was born in Piura (northern Peru), on July 27, 1834. His parents
were Manuel Grau and Maria Seminario.
From a young age he worked in the merchant marine and in 1853 he joined the Navy. In
1858 he was separated from the Navy for having joined the rebellion of Manuel Ignacio de
Vivanco against Ramón Castilla. Then, Grau returned to the merchant marine and worked
on ships that traveled to China to bring in immigrant workers. In 1863, he was
reincorporated into the Peruvian Navy.
During the War against Spain he participated in the fight of Abtao (7-2-1866) where the
Peruvian-Chilean allies were victorious. In 1868 he was commanded by the ship Huáscar
and in 1876 he was elected deputy for Paita.
At the outbreak of the War with Chile, in 1879, he became the chief of the Peruvian
squadron and fought under the command of the ship "Huáscar". On May 21, 1879, he sank
the Chilean ship Esmeralda in the Combat of Iquique.
Then he made several incursions into Chilean waters to attack their military positions and
delay a possible enemy landing on our soil. One of his exploits was the capture of the
Chilean ship "Rimac" on July 23, 1879. Unfortunately, on October 8, 1879, when facing the
Chilean squadron in the Combate de Angamos, a cannon shot from the "Cochrane" ship
ended with his life.
Miguel Grau Seminario nació en en Piura (norte de Perú), el 27 de julio de 1834. Sus
padres fueron Manuel Grau y Maria Seminario.
Desde muy joven trabajó en la marina mercante y en 1853 ingresó a la Marina de Guerra.
En 1858 fue separado de la Marina por haberse unido a la rebelión de Manuel Ignacio de
Vivanco contra Ramón Castilla. Entonces, Grau volvió a la marina mercante y trabajó en
barcos que viajaban a la China para traer trabajadores inmigrantes. En 1863, fue
reincorporado a la Armada Peruana.
Durante la Guerra contra España participó en el combate de Abtao (7-2-1866) donde los
aliados peruano-chilenos resultaron vencedores. En 1868 recibió el mando del buque
Huáscar y en 1876 fue elegido diputado por Paita.