The Third Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action during the Mexican Revolution. At the end of March 1914, a Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa after failing in the First and Second Battles of Topolobampo. The Constitutionalist warship, "Tampico", was sunk in a battle lasting a few hours by a Huertista gunboat.
Background.
After two small bloodless engagements off Topolobampo within a few weeks earlier, Lieutenant Hilario Malpica was promoted to the rank of captain by General Álvaro Obregón, a future president of Mexico. Despite the promotion, Captain Malpica still had the problem of fighting two gunboats, just outside Topolobampo's harbor bar. "Morelos" and "Guerrero", under Captain Navio Torres aboard "Guerrero", were conducting a naval blockade of the port. "Guerrero" had blockaded Topolobampo continually since March 2, 1914. "Morelos" arrived a couple days after "Guerrero" and occasionally left the blockade for provisioning and coal. On March 30, "Morelos" left again for supplies, leaving "Guerrero" alone and outside the bar. This gave Captain Malpica a chance to finally lift the blockade of his home port.
Battle.
At 4:32 pm on March 31, 1914, the day after "Morelos" left, "Tampico" steamed out of the harbor and attacked "Guerrero". At this time, Captain Navio Torres was returning an official call from the United States protected cruiser, , who was observing the naval campaign off Topolobampo. "Tampico"'s fire from two guns and one gun failed to hit the target but were not far off. "Guerrero" returned with six 4-inch guns and quickly "New Orleans" turned towards the Huertista vessel and got under way immediately; she was too close for safely observing the conflict. "Guerrero" took up a position off the channel with her broadside towards "Tampico". At around 5:30 pm, Captain Malpica in "Tampico" reached a position abreast of Shell Point. There she opened fire on "Guerrero" again at a range of .
Immediately she was answered by "Guerrero"'s broadsides; shots managed to hit the officers quarters twice, causing considerable damage. "Tampico" suffered four more hits to her bow, and one struck underneath the waterline. Five other shots struck "Tampico" at the waterline, one amidship. Amazingly neither Captain Malpica or any of her sixty other officers and crew sustained injuries. All of the said hits reportedly occurred while "Tampico" made the first dash towards "Guerrero". Despite the damage, the ships continued to fire at this position until 6:00 pm came before turning around. After a few more moments "Tampico" got underway again and headed straight for "Guerrero", as she had when Captain Malpica mutinied from the squadron. "Tampico" went right on over the bar and proceeded until grounding below the entrance of the harbor. By 6:15 pm, "Tampico" managed to free herself of the bar and headed northwest, again straight for "Guerrero" and under "wild fire" as USS "New Orleans" reported.
When almost 6:30 pm, because of the approaching darkness, Captain Navio Torres, in the bridge of "Guerrero", retreated but continued to fire shots at "Tampico". "Guerrero" was struck three times by "Tampico". One 4-inch armor-piercing shot, entered the starboard side of the berth deck but failed to detonate. Another landed on deck amid ship and also failed to explode. The third and final hit struck a stanchion outside the bridge, this one did explode. Because it struck above the top-side, the crew of "Guerrero", scrambling around on top, was hit by shrapnel. None of "Guerrero"'s crew were killed but at least three were wounded. After seeing "Guerrero" retreat, "Tampico" followed suit and came about and headed back into Topolobampo's harbor, northeast of Shell Point. It was later discovered by "Guerrero"'s crew that "Tampico" had sunk as the result of her battle damage.
Aftermath.
Both of the vessels had ceased their firing by 6:40 pm because of the coming nightfall. "Guerrero" anchored off the bar and continued blockading, not realizing "Tampico" had sunk after entering the bay. Firing on both sides was again reported to be very wild by the Mexicans and the Americans. The range varied from away from each other; the range closed when "Tampico" exited the harbor for her attack. "Tampico" fired over 160 shells during the fight, from her 4-inch and 6-pounder guns. "Guerrero" fired 162 4-inch shells, of which 20 were shrapnel rounds and the others armor-piercing shells. Captain Malpica, just before the Fourth Battle of Topolobampo, told the officers of USS "New Orleans" their perspective of the engagement. USS "New Orleans" and eventually three other American warships would all have a hand in observing the situation.
On April 2, "Morelos" returned from Altata and learnt of the battle. The federal gunboats did not know yet but they suspected that "Tampico" was aground and not sunk, so Captain Torres ordered "Morelos" to get close to the bar and inspect "Tampico". At a range of , "Morelos" fired eleven shells at "Tampico". Half underwater, "Tampico"'s crew had not yet left her, fired eight shots in response, with no damage inflicted to either side. After finding out that "Tampico" was sunk and after deciding "Tampico" was no longer a threat to the federal government, the two Huertista gunboats withdrew from Topolobampo a week or so later but with the intention of continuing a blockade after being resupplied. "Tampico" would be salvaged by her crew and refloated to fight the Fourth Battle of Topolobampo. On April 9, a Constitutionalist biplane, piloted by Gustavo Salinas Camiña would make history by fighting one of the first naval air actions in history.